Dental care for the cancer patient

In the dental treatment and maintenance of cancer patients the dentist is often confronted with particularly and peculiarly accented situations which require knowledge of disease and therapy‐related problems. Surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and basic disease may present a constellation of conditions which require for their control the efforts of the entire health profession team. Dental care of the irradiated head and neck cancer patient requires close follow‐up and meticulous oral hygiene. There are definite indications for preirradiation extractions, basic rules for maintenance during and after irradiation, and certain precepts for post‐irradiation extractions. Chemotherapy has introduced new considerations in the dental treatment of cancer patients. As most anti‐tumor drugs cause thrombocytopenia, this effect on hemostasis is of great concern when contemplating oral surgery. During the acute phase of hematologic disorders dental maintenance must be limited to atraumatic procedures to control periodontal and pulp involvement. Good oral hygiene plays an important part in the dental maintenance of all patients. Dentists must take an active part in the therapy and rehabilitation of cancer patients.