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Review
. 2011 Oct;19(5):448-54.
doi: 10.1590/s1678-77572011000500003.

Oral adverse effects of head and neck radiotherapy: literature review and suggestion of a clinical oral care guideline for irradiated patients

Elen de Souza Tolentino  1 , Bruna Stuchi Centurion, Lúcia Helena Caetano Ferreira, Andréia Pereira de Souza, José Humberto Damante, Izabel Regina Fischer Rubira-Bullen
Affiliations
Review

Oral adverse effects of head and neck radiotherapy: literature review and suggestion of a clinical oral care guideline for irradiated patients

Elen de Souza Tolentino et al. J Appl Oral Sci. 2011 Oct.

Abstract

Radiotherapy, alone or associated with surgery or chemotherapy, produces a significant increase in cure rates for many malignancies of the head and neck region. However, high doses of radiation in large areas, including the oral mucosa, may result in several undesired reactions that manifest during or after the completion of therapy. The multidisciplinary management is the best alternative to minimize or even prevent such reactions, and the dentist has a fundamental role in this context. This paper reviews the literature related to the main oral sequelae from head and neck radiotherapy and establishes clinical oral management protocol for these irradiated patients.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A: Mucosal atrophy and ulceration with pseudomembrane in the lateral tongue border; B and C: Diffuse erythema and ulceration with pseudomembrane in the tongue and lip mucosa of a patient subjected to head and neck radiotherapy (photographs kindly provided by Dr. Juliana Bertoldi Franco)
Figure 2
Figure 2
A: Clinical aspect of bone exposure and necrosis in a patient with osteoradionecrosis after radiotherapy treatment (photograph kindly provided by Dr. Marcos Martins Curi). B: Panoramic radiograph showing irregular osteolytic areas in the mandible of a patient with osteoradionecrosis
Figure 3
Figure 3
Limited mouth opening in a woman subjected to radiotherapy after a nasopharyngeal carcinoma 8 years before
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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