ORAL COMPLICATIONS OF RADIOTHERAPY TREATMENT OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER

Abstract

Cancer is a global public health problem, with about 12.7 million cases worldwide. Patients with head and neck cancer who receive radiotherapy tend to have oral complications as side effects of their treatment. The objective of this article was to identify the main oral complications resulting from the radiotherapy treatment of head and neck cancer and the procedures indicated to prevent and control these complications. The study consists of a literature review in the Pubmed/Medline and Virtual Health Library databases, using the descriptors “head and neck cancer”, “radiotherapy” and “oral health”. It was identified that the main oral complications resulting from antineoplastic treatment reported in the literature are mucositis, xerostomia, candidiasis, radiation caries, osteoradionecrosis and trismus. The therapeutic approaches used by the dentist are indicated before, during and after treatment. Considering the occurrence of multiple symptoms in cancer patients, it is necessary to intervene to have good oral health conditions before, during and after treatment, thus reducing the occurrence and severity of the complications presented.