Affiliation:
1. Department of Surgery Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
2. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
3. Department of Radiation Oncology Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York New York USA
Abstract
AbstractPurposeTo determine whether objective measures of oral health and salivary gland irradiation correlates with subjective measures of eating, drinking, and salivation in patients following head and neck radiation therapy (HNRT).MethodsThis cross‐sectional study included 112 patients following HNRT with a completed patient‐reported outcome (PRO) scale. Objective measures at post‐HNRT visit included decayed–missing–filled teeth (DMFT) scores, periodontal disease condition, oral hygiene status, dental prosthesis use, and prescribed radiation dose to salivary glands. Data were collected and statistical analysis was performed.ResultsThere was no significant association between PRO scales and dental prosthesis use, periodontal disease, and oral hygiene. Although some significant findings were seen with DMFT and prescribed radiation dose to salivary glands, this explained only very small amounts of the variation in eating, drinking, and salivation measures in these patients.ConclusionPRO measures should be integrated in the routine care of patients with head and neck cancer.