Valoración clínica del estado dental y periodental en un grupo de pacientes oncológicos, previo inicio de la quimioterapia.

Abstract

Introduction Antineoplastic therapy includes surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy alone or in combination, depending on the nature and extent of the tumor (1). Antineoplastic chemotherapy presently consists of the use of drugs (cytostatic agents) that destroy or hinder the proliferation of tumor cells. Treatment is followed by tumor cell necrosis, after which a neoplastic cell recovery phase may be observed. The problem of these treatments is that in most cases their action is not selectively target to tumor cells. In effect, anticancer drugs affect not only neoplastic cells but also other similarly rapidly dividing normal cells such as bone marrow, hair follicle cells and the orodigestive epithelium (2). Chemotherapy is characterized by a narrow borderline between its antitumor effects and toxicity (which may even prove fatal) (3). Due to the side effects upon the oral cavity, patient oral status prior to chemotherapy is important for the quality of life of these patients, because the possibilities for intervention after chemotherapy are limited. The present study explores oral and dental status in a group of patients with cancer before chemotherapy, with the evaluation of possible prior dental intervention, taking into account aspects such as tumor stage and location, and patient dental hygiene and motivation. Material and methods: Eighty-eight patients with cancer in different body locations were studied and compared with a control group. Dental plaque was assessed by means of the Silness and Löe index, dental status with the DMFT index, and periodontal status with the modified CPI index. Conclusions: Oncological patients in our study showed more dental plaque versus healthy patients and more decayed and missing teeth. However, patients in the control group showed more filled teeth than cancer patients. Periodontal status as determined by the modified CPI index was similar in both patient groups.