Oral complications of cancer therapies: prevention and management

There is no doubt that, when the oncology team includes a dentist, the risks of development of serious complications such as osteoradionecrosis are significantly reduced for the cancer patient [15,157,158]. Ideally, all patients should be rendered dentally fit before the commencement of cancer therapy. Those receiving radiotherapy should then be seen weekly by the dentist during the course of radiotherapy and approximately every 1-2 weeks during the intensive phases of treatment, if receiving chemotherapy or surgery. All patients should be carefully followed up after cancer therapy in order to minimize orofacial complications and be in a position to intervene at an early stage, when therapy is likely to be easier and more rapidly effective.