Oral and dental complications of head and neck radiotherapy and their management.

Unlabelled: Cancer patients who are diagnosed early and or receive effective anti tumour therapy can expect to live for many years after treatment and therefore preservation of normal tissue function is crucial to ensure long term quality of life. Oral complications affect hundred per cent of patients who receive radiotherapy to fields involving the oral cavity and combined modality treatment with chemotherapy may compound these effects. Oral cavity is highly susceptible to side effects as radiotherapy targets cells that divide rapidly and the cells of the mucosal lining of the mouth are rapidly dividing cells and they are thus injured.