1. The impact of radiation caries on morbidity and mortality outcomes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients.
- Author
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Palmier NR, Prado-Ribeiro AC, Mariz BALA, Rodrigues-Oliveira L, Paglioni MP, Napimoga JTC, Pedroso CM, Morais-Faria K, Oliveira MCQ, Vechiato-Filho AJ, Brandão TB, and Santos-Silva AR
- Subjects
- Humans, Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck complications, Dental Caries Susceptibility, Morbidity, Retrospective Studies, Head and Neck Neoplasms radiotherapy, Osteoradionecrosis complications, Osteoradionecrosis surgery, Dental Caries epidemiology
- Abstract
Aims: Radiation caries (RC) is a highly prevalent and chronic complication of head and neck radiotherapy (HNRT) and presents a challenge for clinicians and patients. The present study aimed to assess the impact of RC on the morbidity and mortality outcomes of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) patients., Methods and Results: Patients were divided into three groups: (1) RC (n = 20), (2) control (n = 20), and (3) edentulous (n = 20). Information regarding the number of appointments, dental procedures, osteoradionecrosis (ORN), prescriptions, and hospital admissions were collected. Mortality outcomes were assessed through disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates. RC patients required more dental appointments (p < .001), restorations (p < .001), extractions (p = .001), and antibiotic and analgesic prescriptions (p < .001). Kaplan-Meier subgroup analyses showed a significantly increased risk of ORN in RC compared to edentulous patients (p = .015). RC patients presented lower DFS rates (43.2 months) than the control and edentulous groups (55.4 and 56.1 months, respectively)., Conclusions: RC impacts morbidity outcomes among cancer survivors due to increased demand for medication prescriptions, multiple specialized dental appointments, invasive surgical treatments, increased risk of ORN, and increased need for hospital admissions., (© 2023 Special Care Dentistry Association and Wiley Periodicals LLC.)
- Published
- 2024
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