A simple device to protect against osteoradionecrosis induced by interstitial irradiation.

The incidence of osteoradionecrosis has declined since the introduction of preventive oral hygiene programs and meticulous dental evaluations before and after irradiation. Nevertheless, radiation dose per se still remains an important factor in osteoradionecrosis. Interstitial radiation has received much attention in the past decade since the use of flexible afterloading systems. It has become common practice in large oncology centers to implant radiation carriers in bulky tumor in the oral cavity and/or oropharynx. For interstitial radiation, with or without external radiation, minimal tumor doses are often cited to be more than 70 Gy. Unfortunately, if the mandible receives more than 70 Gy, it is at risk for the development of osteoradionecrosis. Therefore a simple protective lead device has been designed for routine use in brachytherapy in oral cavity tumors to reduce the dose to the mandible. This device will diminish the potential risk of osteoradione-crosis development.