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Radiation caries describes the rapid onset and progression of dental caries in patients who have received radiotherapy to the head and neck. The combination of salivary gland damage resulting in hyposalivation and a cariogenic diet can have catastrophic consequences with a considerable impact on the quality of life of individuals. Caries risk must be managed at all stages of the patient's head and neck cancer journey from the pre-assessment to their lifelong maintenance. This paper provides an overview of the aetiology, presentation and management of radiation caries demonstrated with clinical cases.
CPD/Clinical Relevance: With the increasing incidence of head and neck cancer, clinicians should be aware of the significance of radiation caries, understand its specialist management and be able to contribute to the patient's long-term management.
Article
Around 12,400 new head and neck cancer (HANC) cases are diagnosed annually in the UK, and the incidence is on the rise.1 HANC patients are managed in secondary care by a multidisciplinary team of specialists.2 The three main management strategies are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, which may be used as a single modality or in combination.3 It is reported that 43–85% of HANC cases receive radiotherapy.1 Radiotherapy to the head and neck region can have a number of adverse short- and long-term complications on the oral cavity, with a significant impact upon the quality of life of patients during and post cancer therapy.4 Complications include mucositis, candidiasis, altered taste, osteoradionecrosis, trismus, xerostomia and radiation caries.5
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