The onset of osteoradionecrosis resulting from head and neck radiotherapy

Abstract

Osteoradionecrosis has a deleterious effect from head and neck radiotherapy and is one of the most serious complications that can occur. Individuals afflicted by osteoradionecrosis may present evidence of painful symptoms, trismus, dysgeusia and odor, among other problems. The objective of this study was to show how the dental approach to osteoradionecrosis should proceed. A bibliographic review was carried out with a search in the databases: PubMED, Google Scholar involving a survey of studies and articles dealing with the occurrence of osteoradionecrosis arising from the adverse effect of the application of head and neck radiotherapy. The classifications used for the stages of osteoradionecrosis are numerous. In short, some factors act predisposing to the installation of osteoradionecrosis in the mouth, such as: presence of periodontal disease; poor or insufficient oral hygiene; dental caries; option to perform dentoalveolar surgery procedures during or after the end of radiotherapy sessions; location where the tumor was installed and the choice of increased radiation doses. The figure of the dental surgeon when performing antineoplastic treatments has a prominent role. The dental surgeon must have knowledge and be aware of how osteoradionecrosis can manifest itself during radiotherapy treatment so that he can carry out an adequate dental planning when contacting patients affected by the disease.