ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RADIOTHERAPY AND DENTAL CARIES IN PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER: A LITERATURE REVIEW

• Published in: Oral surgery, oral medicine, oral pathology and oral radiology Vol. 134; no. 3; p. e240
• Main Authors: De Lima, Marcos Paulo Maia, Guimarães, Igor Campos, Silva, Pâmela Gomes, Pêgas, Maurílio Araújo, De Oliveira, Letícia Lelis, De Souza Chandretti, Paula Carolina, Vilela, Eduardo Machado
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.09.2022
• ISSN: 2212-4403; 2212-4411
• DOI: 10.1016/j.oooo.2022.01.773

The aim of this study was to review the literature about the presence of dental caries in patients undergoing head and neck radiotherapy. References published in the last 5 years were searched on PubMed database using the search terms “Radiation caries,” “Tooth demineralization,” “Dental caries,” and “Radiation” combined with each other. After the reading and based on the eligibility criteria, 18 articles were included in this study. It was estimated that more than 80% of patients with head and neck cancer suffer from acute oral complications due to radiation, contributing to a high prevalence of tooth decay associated with radiotherapy. The absence of daily use of fluoride, frequent dental appointments, and oral hygiene and diet instructions were significantly associated with these lesions’ development. Furthermore, the use of individualized radioprotective oral stents was an option to reduce xerostomia development probability and prevent dental caries as a consequence of radiotherapy. There is a strong association between radiotherapy prescribed to patients with head and neck cancer and dental caries development. However, there are several dentistry approaches that make it possible to reduce this development risk.