Late oral complications and assessment of oral symptoms in childhood and adolescent cancer survivors following head and neck radiotherapy: a cross-sectional study.
In a cross-sectional assessment of 52 childhood and adolescent cancer survivors who received head and neck radiotherapy, the study documented late oral abnormalities and symptoms, including trismus, dental developmental changes, hyposalivation, and xerostomia.
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In a cross-sectional assessment of 52 childhood and adolescent cancer survivors who received head and neck radiotherapy, the study documented late oral abnormalities and symptoms, including trismus, dental developmental changes, hyposalivation, and xerostomia.
Research significance
The study provides evidence that survivors exposed to head and neck radiotherapy can experience persistent oral complications; it is reasonable but untested to infer that structured long-term dental surveillance, salivary assessment, and early supportive interventions could reduce symptom burden or prevent progression.
Source abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the oral health, late oral complications, and oral symptoms in patients who underwent radiotherapy in the head and neck region during childhood and adolescence. Data were collected from a specialized pediatric oncology and hematology hospital; to assess oral health, measurements were taken of stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow, gingival bleeding index, visible plaque index, and caries activity index. Clinical data such as neoplasm type, treatment administered, and total radiation dose were collected. Additionally, the Vanderbilt Head and Neck Symptom Survey questionnaire was utilized to assess oral symptoms. A total of 52 patients were evaluated, with 53.8% being male and 46.2% female. The most frequent diagnosis was Hodgkin's Lymphoma (69.2%), and the most common late-onset alterations observed were trismus, prolonged retention of primary teeth, agenesis, and microdontia. Regarding salivary flow, 19.6% of patients exhibited hyposalivation with stimulated saliva, and 1.9% with unstimulated saliva. The mean visible plaque index was 7.8%, and the mean gingival bleeding index was 2.3%. In relation to the International Caries Detection and Assessment System score, 91.4% of the sample scored 0. In terms of oral symptom assessment, the domain labeled "dry mouth" was the most affected, with 18.9% of patients experiencing some degree of xerostomia. Patients who received radiotherapy for tumors in the head and neck during childhood and adolescence may develop late oral changes, which impact their oral symptoms.