Head and neck cancer, dental implants, and dental oncology

Head and neck cancer is a real presence in the dental-implant world--patients who undergo surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation often seek the assistance of dental-implant practitioners to restore them to better function; other patients who have had implants in place for years will return with questions regarding how their treatment will be affected by the presence of their dental implant. As oral-cancer treatment modalities are rapidly changing, practitioners struggle to keep up with the literature surrounding this important subset of the dental-implant population. This month, we look at the numbers of patients suffering from oral cancers, consider the different treatment options for patients with oral cancers, and investigate the role that implants play in improving therapeutic outcomes or changing treatment course.