Oral and Dental Care for Cancer Patients: Why is it important?

The mouth is a very important part of the body, consisting of elements such as teeth, gums, salivary glands, tongue, and mucosa. The condition of each of them contributes to the general health of the oral cavity, which is particularly exposed to side effects during anti-cancer treatment. The oral cavity, which is an organ highly sensitive to radiation or chemotherapy, is usually affected by very troublesome side effects of such treatment. Some of these conditions can cause pain that makes it difficult to carry out normal activities — such as eating, chewing, swallowing, speaking, and using dentures. Therefore, an indispensable element of oncological treatment is strict dental control, which can be divided into three stages — before, during and after treatment. So what do you need to know?

Dental care before oncological treatment

The first step, even before starting treatment, should be a visit to the dentist. During this visit, the condition of the teeth and oral cavity will be examined, and the doctor will then be able to determine if it is necessary to implement a treatment plan.

The most important issue is to eliminate any potential infection foci (such as deep caries) that could be associated with health complications. Both radiation therapy and chemotherapy lower your immunity, which in turn increases your susceptibility to infections. The response of a weakened immune system may not be sufficient to combat them. As a result, various types of complications arise and the state of the infection becomes chronic.

At least 2 weeks before the start of oncological treatment, the so-called sanation of the oral cavity should be performed. Sanitation is nothing more than the elimination of possible sources of infection from the patient's mouth.

Dental care prior to treatment should include, but is not limited to:

• Thorough examination of the oral cavity;
• Radiological evaluation of the dentition;
• Elimination of carious lesions;
• Correction or replacement of defective restorations;
• Descaling;
• Control of fixed and removable prosthetic restorations;
• Cleaning partial or permanent dentures;
• Extraction of teeth, the condition of which does not allow them to heal.

Oral hygiene during oncological treatment

At this stage, when all possible sources of inflammation have been removed, strict adherence to the dentist's recommendations is usually enough. The first is to carefully brush not only your teeth, but also your gums and tongue after each meal and before sleep. Remember to brush with a very soft bristle toothbrush. Many people believe that hard bristles mean thorough cleaning. Nothing could be more wrong. Such toothbrushes can irritate and damage the gums, which are extremely fragile. This can also lead to bleeding. The damage is a kind of gateway for microbes that cause inflammation.

Daily oral care should also include gentle cleaning of the interdental spaces with a dental floss, irrigator or interdental brushes. One of the results of anti-cancer treatment is mouth dryness. So it’s necessary to take care of proper hydration of the oral cavity. For this purpose, it is worth reaching for water, and lozenges often, as well as rinsing the mouth with linseed infusion, which has moisturizing properties.

During oncological treatment, it is also recommended removing prostheses and orthodontic appliances at night or completely for the duration of treatment. In addition, patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy should avoid consuming spicy and acidic products that may additionally irritate the mucosa. It is also worth staying in contact with the dentist throughout the treatment. Thanks to this, in case of increasing side effects of the therapy, it will be possible to take appropriate measures quickly.

Caring for teeth after completion of oncological treatment

A characteristic feature of oncological treatment is the possibility of side effects also at a later time. The most common complication of cancer treatment is the so-called mucositis, i.e. inflammatory changes in the oral mucosa. Mucositis is accompanied by pain, erythema, swelling and even ulceration. It may also appear a few days after starting therapy. In order to relieve symptoms, specialized rinses are most often used.

Oral changes induced by the therapy are often associated with a reduction in the protective capacity of saliva. This condition makes the oral cavity vulnerable to fungal infections. heir prevention is based mainly on proper hygiene and proper moisturizing of the mucosa or the use of saliva substitutes. In addition, cancer patients may also experience other side effects, including herpes, periodontitis, taste disturbances and difficult swallowing, necrotizing osteitis, and radiation tooth decay.

A few words of summary

It should be remembered that any attempt to alleviate side effects within the oral cavity should be consulted with a dentist. Inadequately selected or improperly applied measures can do more harm than good. Moreover, each of the disturbing symptoms should be reported to the medical staff as soon as possible — the attending physician, nurse, or dentist. Awareness of the role of proper oral hygiene and care for the condition of the teeth allows minimizing side effects and thus improving the quality of life.