How does radiation cause dental caries?
Radiation caries can occur because of the inability of the saliva to destroy bacteria that causes tooth decay and its inability to remineralize the tooth enamel. The decrease in salivary flow and salivary pH also contribute to the process of tooth decay.
What is radiotherapy caries?
Radiation caries is defined as tooth decay that results from radiation-induced dry mouth (xerostomia). The increased incidence of tooth decay in postradiation patients is caused by radiation to the major salivary glands and is not due to radiation of individual teeth.
How is radiation caries (RC) prevented?
Radiation caries has multifactorial etiology, but hyposalivation remains the primary cause. Therefore, radiation caries could be prevented by salivary gland sparing, or prevention is achieved with comprehensive dental care before, during, and after RT.
What causes tooth decay in postradiation patients?
The increased incidence of tooth decay in postradiation patients is caused by radiation to the major salivary glands and is not due to radiation of individual teeth.
How do you prevent radiation from caries?
This can be accomplished through good preoperative dental treatment, frequent dental evaluation and treatment after RT (with the exception of extractions), and consistent home care that includes self-applied fluoride. Restorative management of radiation caries can be challenging.
Can radiation therapy cause caries?
Patients undergoing or having undergone radiation therapy to the head and neck region have an increased risk of tooth decay, which could result in avoidable pain, infection and tooth loss. What is radiation caries? Radiation caries is tooth decay that occurs as a side-effect of radiotherapy to the head and neck region.
What are the possible effects of radiation on the teeth?
Patients with radiation caries can develop periapical periodontitis or radiation osteomyelitis in some severe cases, with a high risk of dentition destruction [2, 3]. Typical radiation caries is characterized by enamel erosion and dentin exposure.
Can radiotherapy damage your teeth?
Radiation to the head and neck for treatment of cancer does not have a direct affect on the teeth but can change saliva. The saliva may feel thick and sticky or the mouth may feel dry. When this happens the teeth can become painful and cavities can form quickly.
Does radiation directly damage tooth structure?
Radiation in the head and neck area can lead to direct damage of hard tooth structures such as changes in crystal composition, increased enamel solubility, and decreased microhardness, but unfortunately the mechanism of radiation-related caries has not been accurately described (14).
What is near the oral cavity that is especially sensitive to radiation?
The salivary glands are especially sensitive to radiation and show acute and chronic responses to radiotherapy. Of all of the salivary glands, the parotid gland is mainly affected because the serous cells are most sensitive.
Can radiation cause your teeth to fall out?
Head and neck radiation causes other side effects in children, depending on the child's age. Problems with teeth are the most common. Permanent teeth may be slow to come in and may look different from normal teeth. Teeth may fall out.
How long does it take for mouth to heal after radiation?
Head or neck radiation therapy More-intense doses of radiation will cause mouth sores to develop more quickly. Mouth sores from radiation may last four to six weeks after your last radiation treatment.
What is near the oral cavity that is especially sensitive to radiation?
The salivary glands are especially sensitive to radiation and show acute and chronic responses to radiotherapy. Of all of the salivary glands, the parotid gland is mainly affected because the serous cells are most sensitive.
Does radiation cause tooth sensitivity?
According to the National Cancer Institute, radiation causes many changes inside your mouth that make you more susceptible to tooth decay. Radiation damages your salivary glands and leads to xerostomia, also known as dry mouth, which has many additional effects other than making your mouth uncomfortably dry.
Can you have dental work done while taking radiation?
Patients receiving radiation therapy to the head and neck are at risk for developing oral complications. Because of the risk of osteonecrosis in irradiated fields, oral surgery should be performed before radiation treatment begins.
Why does radiation caries occur?
The increased incidence of tooth decay in postradiation patients is caused by radiation to the major salivary glands and is not due to radiation of individual teeth.
How to treat Xerostomia?
Suggestions to Help Alleviate Dry Mouth (Xerostomia) Caused by Radiation 1 Use pilocarpine (Salagen) 5mg, qid, (prescription required.) 2 Try special food preparation – blended and moist foods are easier to swallow. 3 Use artificial saliva (available over-the-counter.) 4 Sip plain water throughout the day (usually preferred over artificial saliva by most patients.) 5 Try Biotene brand, over-the-counter, dry mouth products (toothpaste, alcohol-free mouth rinse and OralBalance lubricating gel.) 6 Avoid the use of alcohol-based mouth rinses. 7 Try water and glycerin (few drops only) mixed in a small aerosol spray bottle. 8 Avoid the use of tobacco and alcoholic beverages.
What type of cancer did this 51 year old male have?
This 51 yr-old male had radiation therapy for laryngeal carcinoma. This pre-treatment panorex shows a fairly intact dentition. F trays were made for him as no other dental care was necessary.
Is there a hard rule for post-radiation extraction?
Weighing these factors will give some indication of the level of risk of osteoradionecrosis. There are no hard and fast rules, but the following guidelines may aid in this deliberation.
What causes osteoradionecrosis of the jaw in patients with head and neck cancer?
Purpose: One of the major causes of osteoradionecrosis of the jaw in patients with head and neck cancer is thought to be progressive dental caries after radiotherapy (RT). The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between various clinical factors and dental caries after RT in order to establish prevention methods for radiation-induced progressive caries.
Can radiotherapy cause oral mucositis?
Radiotherapy (RT) is commonly performed in patients with head and neck cancer, but it can have various acute and late adverse effects, including oral mucositis, xerostomia, tasting disturbance, leukocytopenia, dermatitis, and osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Of these, ORN of the jaws is a serious late complication which markedly reduces the quality of life of patients [1]. Kojima et al. [2] recently reported that in a multicenter retrospective study 30 of 392 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent RT developed ORN. They also reported that periapical periodontitis before RT and tooth extraction after RT were risk factors for ORN, as were progressive dental caries that occurred after RT and progressed rapidly resulting periapical periodontitis, carious stump, or tooth extraction within a short period of time, They concluded that strict management of dental caries after RT was especially important for the prevention of ORN.
