October JADA compares dental clearance timelines before radiation therapy
Other articles discuss gingival enlargements, scanners, cannabidiol
Integrating oral medicine into care teams for patients with head and neck cancer can help ensure rapid, specialized dental treatment, helping to optimize patient outcomes, according to a study published in the October issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.
The National Cancer Institute recommends that dental professionals be considered part of the cancer care team for individuals undergoing cancer treatment and that people see their dentist four weeks prior to initiating cancer treatment, if possible, to allow for healing if any dental work is required.
The cover story, “Comparative Analysis of Dental Screening Programs for Patients Awaiting Head and Neck Radiation Therapy,” compared the time it took for patients to receive dental clearance through three different means: an in-house dental program at the center where they were receiving cancer treatment, an outside dental practice, or a mix of the two, where patients were seen by an outside dentist and their records were then reviewed by oral medicine specialists at the cancer treatment center.
Mean times between patients’ radiation therapy consultations and dental clearance were 28.6 days for the in-house dental program, 22.6 days for the outside dental practice and 21.4 days for the mixed setup.
“The mixed program, incorporating an oral medicine review of outside evaluations, had the shortest time to clearance, despite greater travel distances, highlighting the value of hybrid models,” the authors said in the study. “Timely dental screenings before [radiation therapy] for [head and neck cancer] are critical to initiate cancer treatment promptly and minimize the risk of developing secondary oral complications.”
Other articles in the October issue of JADA discuss terminology for gingival enlargements, intraoral vs. desktop scanners, and the therapeutic potential of cannabidiol.
Every month, JADA articles are published online at JADA.ADA.org. ADA members can access JADA content with their ADA username and password.
