Dental abnormalities in long-term survivors of head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma

To define the long-term dental sequelae of therapy for childhood rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck, and to identify factors in their development, we retrospectively reviewed the serial panoramic radiographs and clinical records of 22 survivors of head or neck rhabdomyosarcoma who had been followed for at least 5 years. Patients were divided into four groups based upon age at the time of therapy and three groups based upon radiation doses. All patients had received similar multiagent chemotherapy. Dental sequelae of oncotherapy occurred in over half of the long-term survivors of head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma. The abnormalities comprised root stunting in 54%, microdontia in 23%, and hypodontia in 50% of patients; 36% had multiple abnormalities. Microdontia and multiple abnormalities were more prevalent in patients treated at the earliest age, and abnormalities tended to be more prevalent with increasing doses of radiation. Five patients (23%) developed severe cosmetic and/or functional sequelae necessitating surgical and/or orthodontic intervention. The high frequency of dental sequelae we observed suggests that meticulous long-term dental and radiographic follow-up are needed. Early detection and treatment of the complications of therapy will expedite their correction and minimize morbidity.