A comparison of the effectiveness of two systems for the prevention of radiation caries

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of two systems for the prevention of dental caries in patients who have received radiation treatment (mean number of rads; 5672 +/- 1113) for head and neck cancer. The baseline examination of 184 dentulous patients included measures of DMFS and the Root Caries Index (RCI), field of radiation, gingival inflammation, oral hygiene status, pocket depth and attachment loss. The patients were assigned randomly into two treatment groups. One group was instructed to use 0.4% Sn2 gel while toothbrushing everyday, and the other group was instructed to use a 1.1% neutral NaF gel for three months, followed by twice daily rinsing with a remineralizing mouthrinse (Salminsol Solutions, Iowa City, Iowa). One hundred and forty-three patients were re-examined after one-year, and 69, 56 and 18 patients continued in the NaF gel/remineralizing mouthrinse, SnF2 and non-compliant groups, respectively. Inter-group comparisons showed that the incidence of MT, DMFT, and DF surfaced, and the RCI were significantly higher in the non-compliant group compared to either the SnF2 or NaF gel/remineralizing mouthrinse groups (P less than 0.05). Also, the NaF gel/remineralizing mouthrinse group demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of carious root surfaces compared to the SnF2 group (P less than 0.05). Also the incidence of radiation caries was significantly higher when the field of radiation exposed a greater surface area of the major salivary glands.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)