Radiotherapy for head and neck cancer is associated with adverse oral effects, including salivary gland hypofunction, radiation-related caries, and periodontal tissue alterations, which negatively impact oral health and quality of life.
No actionable change for audiologists — this review addresses oral rehabilitation after head and neck radiotherapy, which falls outside routine audiology scope; however, audiologists treating this population should be aware of the multidisciplinary care burden and potential for concomitant radiation-related hearing damage.
Head and neck radiotherapy patients often experience co-occurring hearing loss alongside oral complications, underscoring the value of coordinated multidisciplinary care that may include audiology.
- 01Reviews multidisciplinary rehabilitation for oral complications after head and neck radiotherapy.
- 02Key issues addressed: salivary gland hypofunction (dry mouth), radiation caries (tooth decay), and periodontal tissue damage.
- 03Multidisciplinary teams may include oncologists, dentists, speech therapists, and other specialists.
- 04Hearing loss is a known side effect of head and neck radiotherapy but is not the review's primary focus.
- 05Published in a peer-reviewed dental/oncology journal (DOI: 10.1002/cap.70066).
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation improves oral health outcomes after head and neck radiotherapy.
studypartially supportedSalivary gland hypofunction, radiation caries, and periodontal tissue changes are primary oral complications of head and neck radiotherapy.
guidelinesupported- PMID
- 42093299
- DOI
- 10.1002/cap.70066.
- Journal
- Cancer Reports
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 2a
- Population
- Patients undergoing or having completed head and neck radiotherapy
- Intervention
- Multidisciplinary oral rehabilitation (dentistry, oncology, speech therapy, etc.)
Primary outcomes
Management of salivary gland hypofunction; Prevention and treatment of radiation caries; Periodontal tissue rehabilitation