Protocolo odontológico para pacientes en tratamiento de radioterapia y quimioterapia.

Abstract

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy can cause complications in patients. If the cancer is in the head and neck region, the risk of negative consequences occurring in the oral cavity increases. The objective was to establish a dental protocol for patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. A systematic review was carried out in which 20 articles published between 2017 and 2024 were included. Patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments may face several consequences that affect the oral cavity such as mucositis, xerostomia, osteonecrosis and osteoradionecrosis, as well as increased susceptibility to caries and periodontal diseases due to immunosuppression. The risk factors for these complications are the immunosuppressed state of the patients, the decreased salivary flow rate and the inability of therapies to distinguish between healthy and cancerous cells that attack both equally. The dentist must follow protocols for both the prevention of infections that could take advantage of the immunosuppressed state of the patients and the prevention of complications such as osteonecrosis, osteoradionecrosis, xerostomia or mucositis that may occur in oncology patients because of undergoing radiotherapy. and/or chemotherapy.