Clinical use of fluoride for the patients with head and neck cancer after radiation therapy

Abstract

We evaluated the effectiveness of fluoride mouth rinses for preventing multiple radiation caries. Between 1995 and 1996, we treated 28 patients with 0.1% NaF mouth rinses who had received radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Twelve of the patients had nasopharyngeal carcinoma, 10 oropharyngeal carcinoma, and 6 tongue carcinoma. The patients had been treated with external radiation therapy or interstitial brachytherapy at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, The Center for Adult Diseasesi Osaka, or at the Department of Radiology, Osaka University Medical School.
We found that treatment with fluoride mouth rinses significantly reduced increases in the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index. From the above results, we concluded that mouth rinses with 0.1% NaF should be recommended to reduce the incidence of multiple caries for patients who have received radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. Shika lgaku (J Osaka Odontol Soc) 1996 Dec; 59(4): 292− 300.