General Dentistry

Cancer therapy can cause dental problems

Cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy, and bone marrow transplantation have become more powerful and therapeutically successful in the past 10 years, yet the cancer-fighting treatments can affect healthy tissues, as well. The mouth is a frequent site of acute and chronic side effects.

Oral complications such as rampant dental decay; salivary gland dysfunction, which leads to dry mouth; and mouth sores are painful, diminish the quality of life, and may lead to significant compliance problems. Oral complications occur in almost all patients receiving radiation of head and neck malignancies, in more than 75 percent of bone marrow transplant recipients, and in nearly 40 percent of patients receiving chemotherapy.

According to recent studies, pretreatment therapy for oral complications can positively affect the outcomes of cancer treatment. We recommend the following pretreatment strategies for all cancer patients:

• Contact us early after diagnosis
• Schedule oral examination before initiation of cancer therapy
• Treat all pre-existing oral disease

Oral complications are the single most common cause of interruption and premature termination of treatment regimens for cancer patients, so the oral complications of cancer therapy have the potential to adversely affect treatment outcomes, cancer prognosis, and quality of life.

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