Clinical ResearchLate Effects of Head and Neck Radiotherapy on Pulp Vitality Assessed by Pulse Oximetry
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
This investigation was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Sírio-Libanês Hospital (São Paulo, Brazil; protocol #130). An informed consent was obtained from all human subjects who participated in this study. In total, 180 patients who agreed to participate in this investigation were selected for this study. Group RT had 90 participants who had received RT for malignant head and neck tumors at the Hospital Sírio-Libanês 4–6 years ago, including male and female patients between the ages of 35
Results
The mean age of the participants in group RT was 49.4 years (male, 50.3 years; female, 48.5 years), and it was 49.6 years in group CON (male, 51.1 years; female, 49.1 years). All patients in group RT had a history of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), and the mean amount of total radiation delivered to the tumor sites was 61.8 Gy. The most prevalent site of head and neck cancer was the oropharynx (66%), followed by the oral cavity (20%), the nasopharynx (8%), and the hypopharynx (6%).
Discussion
The use of pulse oximetry as an objective tool to determine pulp vitality has been demonstrated for teeth with a history of dental trauma 16, 20. However, there is still little knowledge about the use of pulse oximetry for the evaluation of teeth in situations other than trauma (13). There are few reports on the use of pulse oximetry for teeth in the pathways of ionizing radiation and, in particular, on the long-term fate of pulp tissue in irradiated areas.
There are conflicting reports on the
Conclusion
The findings of this study suggest that the dental pulp in the pathway of ionizing radiation during RT of the head and neck region may not undergo either a complete loss or a decrease in vasculature and blood flow 4–6 years after RT. The clinical changes commonly observed in the pulpal microcirculation, which were demonstrated to occur in the short-term, may only be of a temporary nature. This may suggest that often recommended preventive endodontic treatments or tooth extractions in patients
Acknowledgments
The authors deny any conflicts of interest related to this study.
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