Oral Health Needs of the Head and Neck Radiotherapy Patient: 2. Oral and Dental Care Before, During and After Radiotherapy

From Volume 32, Issue 10, December 2005 | Pages 575-582

Authors

Osama Omer

BDS (Stat), MSc, PhD, FDS RCSI, FFD RCSI (Rest Dent)

Dublin Dental School and Hospital, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

Articles by Osama Omer

Denise MacCarthy

BDS (NUI), MA MDent Sc, FDSRCS (Edin), FFD RCSI (Hon)

Dublin Dental School and Hospital, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

Articles by Denise MacCarthy

June Nunn

PhD, MA, BDS, DDPH RCS (Eng), FDS RCS (Ed)

Dublin Dental School and Hospital, Lincoln Place, Dublin 2, Ireland

Articles by June Nunn

Edward Cotter

BDentSc, FFD RCSI, MS (Prosthodontics)

5 Clyde Court, Clyde Road, Dublin 4, Ireland

Articles by Edward Cotter

Abstract

Head and neck cancer represents a heterogeneous group of neoplasms affecting a number of sites in the aerodigestive tract, histologically primarily epithelial in type. Most are sensitive to a treatment regime of ablative surgery followed by radiotherapy. The incidence of head and neck cancers is approximately 11.8 per 100, 000 population and is the 8th commonest cancer in males and the 16th in females. Treatment comprises ablative surgery with, in 60% of cases, radiotherapy. The oral and dental sequelae of such treatment, and their management, is described.

Article