FDG-PET/CT for oral focus assessment in head and neck cancer patients.

Objectives: To compare oral and maxillo-mandibular inflammatory foci on standard oral radiographs (OPT, periapical radiograph) with available fluorine-18-labelled fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) data and to discuss whether additional metabolic information derived from FDG-PET/CT can support oral care specialists when performing oral focus examinations.

Materials And Methods: Data from 23 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent FDG-PET/CT and panoramic and periapical radiography in close succession before first-line radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy were included in this exploratory retrospective study. Periapical lesions and marginal periodontal inflammation on FDG-PET/CT scans and standard oral radiographs were analysed and compared with regard to metabolic activity on FDG-PET/CT in comparison to recorded clinical symptoms and radiological scores.

Evaluation of Preventive Treatment Protocols for Patients under Antiresorptive Therapy Undergoing Tooth Extraction at a Swiss University Clinic.

Antiresorptive agent-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (ARONJ) is a dreaded complication in patients with compromised bone metabolism. The purpose of the present study was to examine the occurrence of ARONJ and its related factors among patients with a history of antiresorptive therapy undergoing tooth extraction using preventive protocols at a Swiss university clinic. Data were retrospectively pooled from health records of patients having received a surgical tooth extraction between January 2015 and April 2020 in the Clinic of Cranio-Maxillofacial and Oral surgery, University of Zurich.