Maha Almahia: dental examination before the start of therapy helps cancer patients to overcome oral complications

Dr. Maha Ali Almahia, Oral Medicine consultant, head of the Division of Oral Medicine diseases  at Prince Sultan Military Medical City explained the need of the cancer patient to visit dental clinic before starting treatment, stressing that oral health has a great role in the response for  complications and oral lesions that affect the patient as a result of using treatments, whether surgical, chemical or radiological, as health organizations recommend the need of cancer patients to undergo a comprehensive examination of teeth and surrounding tissue and the lining of the mouth before, during and after the identification and treatment of any active infection.

 

This came in a paper submitted by the twenty-sixth Saudi International Conference of the Saudi Dental Society, at Riyadh International Convention Centre..

Dr. Maha Almahia, says such complications can be controlled, if the patient committed the right way of treatment, confirming that it may have a significant impact on the patient's life.

Dr. Almahia adds: Despite the remarkable progress in the field of cancer treatment and the striking effect in increasing the survival rate, the risk ratio is still high in the emergence of many of the complications and Oral lesions of these patients, such as fungal and bacterial infections, pointing out that after the end of treatment, late complications begin to emerge and may remain for life, and adversely affect the patient's life psychologically and physically unless it is dealt with effectively.

She explained: These complications include lack of saliva, due to affected salivary glands with radiation therapy in particular, leading to increase the proportion of caries, and lead to change of the sense of taste and appearance of fungal lesions, in addition to hardening of the muscles of the face as a result of radiation, causing difficulty in opening the mouth and swallowing.

She said: one of the impact of severe complications is the emergence of necrosis of the jaw bone as a result of the changes that affect the bone due to radiation therapy, or use some of the drugs to reduce the spread of cancer, such as bezfosfonat.

According to Dr. Almahia, the onset and progression of these complications in survivors of cancer, may remain for life, depending on the type of disease or the method of treatment, which requires increased awareness, and comprehensive knowledge to enhance prevention, by visiting the dental clinic before starting cancer treatment, in addition to long-term follow-up  after the completion of treatment, so it is necessary that the oncologist and dentist have enough aware and knowledgeable of these complications, to provide the means of prevention and treatment through a healthy multi-disciplinary care team works in an integrated and effective manner in order to raise the level of provided service.

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