Oral mucositis in cancer patients: the effect of oral supplementation

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This review of of the effects of oral supplementation on the prevention and/or treatment of oral mucositis in patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy included 12 RCTs and suggest that Zinc supplements may be beneficial.

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Drugs to prevent salivary gland damage following radiotherapy to the head and neck

This Cochrane review of drugs for the prevention of radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction included 39 studies, while a range of agents was tested the evidence found is not sufficient to highlight much promise in terms of effective preventative treatments.

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Oral Mucositis: can honey reduce its severity?

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This review of the use of honey to educe the severity of radio/chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis identified 7 low quality RCTs that suggest that use of honey may reduce the severity of oral mucositis.

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Dental Implants: survival rate in irradiated patients

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40 studies were identified for this review of dental implants in irradiated patients. While survival rates were good, they were lower than in non-irradiated areas. As the majority of the included studies were retrospective the findings should be viewed cautiously.

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Oral cryotherapy reduces oral mucositis in patients receiving 5FU-based treatment for solid cancers

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This Cochrane review looked at cryotherapy (ice chips) for preventing oral mucositis in patients with cancer. 14 RCTS involving 1280 patients were included providing evidence that oral cryotherapy leads to large reductions in oral mucositis of all severities in adults receiving 5FU for solid cancers. However there was less confidence confident in the ability of oral cryotherapy to reduce oral mucositis in adults receiving high-dose melphalan before haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

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Oral cancer- monoclonal antibodies combined with standard treatment may improve outcomes

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12 trials were included in this Cochrane review of molecularly targeted therapies and immunotherapies as adjuncts to standard treatments for oral cancer. Moderate evidence was found that standard therapy plus epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody (EGFR mAb) reduced mortality and locoregional failures.

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Parasympathomimetic drugs for dry mouth after radiotherapy

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The update of a 2007 Cochrane review of parasympathomimetic drugs for dry mouth after radiotherapy did not identify an new studies. The 3 RCTs identified in the previous version provide limited evidence to support the use of pilocarpine hydrochloride in the treatment of radiation-induced xerostomia.

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Review suggests that radiotherapy was associated with higher rates of implant loss

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Implant–supported restorations show good success rates in healthy tissues while studies in irradiated jaws contrasting outcomes have been reported. The aim of this review was 
to assess the survival rate of titanium implants placed in irradiated jaws. The Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL, and  OpenGRAY databases were searched together with a number of journals (Clinical Implant [read the full story…]

No randomised controlled trials to support or refute the extraction or non-extraction of teeth prior to radiotherapy of head and neck

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Globally about 3% of cancers are head and neck cancers.  Dental examination and completion of any necessary treatment is recommended prior to any radiotherapy required for patients with head and neck cancer. The aim of this Cochrane review was to assess whether the pre-radiation extraction of diseased or non-diseased molars compared to conservative treatment reduced [read the full story…]

Patient factors that affect successful dental implant placement

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The use of dental implants is expanding rapidly.  Treatment planning for their placement involves the assessment of patient-related risk factors prior to formulation of a treatment plan. The aim of this review was to assess relevant literature and provide evidence-based information on the successful surgical placement of dental implants The authors conducted a search of [read the full story…]