Dosimetric verification of dental stent efficacy in head and neck radiation therapy using modern radiation therapy techniques: quality of life and treatment compliance implications

ConclusionsThis approximately 40  % dose reduction implies that patients’ oral mucosae adjacent to dental fixtures could receive more than 100 Gy during a course of definitive radiotherapy to the head and neck without dental stents. In this era of increasing IMRT/VMAT utilization, our results emphasize the value of stent use to improve morbidity and reduce treatment breaks for patients undergoing head and neck radiotherapy.
Source: Journal of Radiation Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research