Interventions for replacing missing teeth: hyperbaric oxygen therapy for irradiated patients who require dental...

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Reconstructive Dentistry
• Oncology

Background:

• Dental implants are crucial for tooth replacement, especially for head and neck cancer patients post-radiotherapy and surgery.
• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is controversially advocated to enhance dental implant success in irradiated patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy, morbidity, patient satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness of dental implants with and without HBO in irradiated patients.

Main Methods:

• A systematic search of multiple electronic databases (Cochrane, MEDLINE, EMBASE) was conducted up to June 2013.
• Included were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HBO therapy for irradiated patients needing dental implants.
• Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers; analysis used random-effects models.

Main Results:

• Only one low-quality RCT with 26 patients was identified.
• No statistically significant differences were found in implant/prosthesis failures, complications, or patient satisfaction between HBO and control groups.
• One patient in the HBO group experienced osteoradionecrosis and implant loss.

Conclusions:

• Current evidence suggests HBO therapy may not provide significant clinical benefits for irradiated patients receiving dental implants.
• There is a critical need for high-quality, multicenter RCTs to definitively assess HBO's effectiveness in this population.