ORAL LESIONS IN JUVENILE CANCER: CHALLENGES FOR DENTISTRY

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 400,000 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer annually. There is significant regional inequality in this scenario, as in developed countries, childhood cancer cure rates exceed 80%. The objective of this work was to highlight the practices and treatments used by dental surgeons, as well as the possible oral alterations in pediatric oncology patients. The methodology consisted of a literature review from the last five years, with searches in the Google Scholar, Virtual Health Library (VHL), PubMed, and SciELO databases. Articles that did not meet the objective, duplicate studies, in vivo or in vitro research, course completion papers, dissertations, theses, editorials, and letters to the editor were excluded. The results indicate that photobiomodulation exhibited analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and healing effects, reducing the incidence and severity of oral mucositis. However, the main limitation lies in the absence of standardized protocols regarding dosimetry, power, and number of sessions, highlighting the need for universal standardization of these practices in the hospital environment. It is emphasized the importance of including dental surgeons in hospital teams, following patients from the beginning to the end of treatment and after recovery, given the relevance of long-term multidisciplinary follow-up.