Orthodontic treatment in cancer survivors

Investigators have assessed the characteristics and outcomes of orthodontic treatments in cancer survivors.

In a systematic review, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, the investigators used seven databases to identify studies focused on orthodontic interventions with fixed appliances among cancer survivors. They narrowed their analysis to four cohort studies involving cancer survivors and healthy patients. The most common malignancy was found to be leukemia, which was treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

The investigators found that the cancer survivors had similar occlusal results, quality of life and satisfaction as the healthy patients prior to treatment, after two weeks and three months and following the removal of fixed appliances. Nonetheless, some of the cancer survivors experienced short treatment durations, reduced occlusal stability during the retention period and complications, such as cancer recurrence, that led to compromised orthodontic treatment outcomes.

Further, cancer-related therapy was determined to have increased the risk of impaired root growth, microdontia, tooth agenesis, tooth discoloration, arrested tooth development, enamel hypoplasia, premature apexification and decreased salivary flow rate.

The findings demonstrated that orthodontic treatment resulted in comparable but less stable outcomes between both cancer survivors and healthy patients. They concluded that more extensive follow-up periods may be needed to ensure posttreatment stability in cancer survivors.

Read more: Journal of Clinical Medicine

The article presented here is intended to inform you about the broader media perspective on dentistry, regardless of its alignment with the ADA's stance. It is important to note that publication of an article does not imply the ADA's endorsement, agreement, or promotion of its content.