Effects of Head and Neck Radiation Therapy on the Oral Cavity

• Autor(a) principal: Melo, Kariny Danielly dos Santos
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: Araújo, Diogo Alves de, Martins, Victor da Mota, Rocha, Aletheia Moraes
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences
• Texto Completo: https://bjihs.emnuvens.com.br/bjihs/article/view/666
• topic: Neoplasias malignas.Odontologia. Radioterapia

Head and neck cancer correspond to neoplasms that occur in the anatomical areas of the oral cavity, face, nasal cavity, pharynx, salivary glands and larynx. Radiotherapy is one of the main therapeutic modalities for treating the disease, despite being an effective method in combating head and neck cancer, it causes changes in healthy tissues, generating consequences in the oral cavity. The objective of this work is to review the literature on the effects of head and neck radiotherapy on the oral cavity. A narrative literature review was carried out with the collection of information through the Virtual Health Library (VHL), PubMed and Google Scholar databases, from 2018 to 2023 with the key words: Malignant neoplasms; dentistry; radiotherapy. Among the main consequences are radiation caries, mucositis, xerostomia, osteoradionecrosis, dysgeusia and trismus. These changes lead to a significant loss of the patient's quality of life. Preventive and curative dental care reduces the occurrence of oral complications during and after radiotherapy. Keywords: Malignant neoplasms; dentistry; radiotherapy