Annual Report 2017
Department of Dentistry
Takao Ueno, Wakako Yatsuoka, Takeo Kanayama, Kyoko Miyamoto, Erina Koyanagi, Mashio Shimano, Chie Asano, Yuko Terade, Minami Ono, Mayumi Kogane
Introduction
Oral complications are common in patients receiving chemotherapy or undergoing radiation therapy for the head and neck.
Oral complications during cancer treatment are directly linked to ingestion problems, and may even serve as a source of various infections such as aspiration pneumonia, thereby exacerbating systemic conditions, and sometimes preventing the completion of cancer treatment with negative effects on treatment prognoses. Oral health status of patients with cancer is associated with the incidence rate and the degree of severity of oral complications. Effective oral hygiene management before initiating cancer treatment will contribute to the reduction of oral complications such as mouth sores, oral mucositis, or dental infections, and provide important support to facilitate smooth cancer treatment.
Our team and what we do
To prevent or reduce oral complications, we check complications during cancer treatment for oral conditions of the patients, identify patients at risk, and start preventive measures before cancer therapy begins.
Our routine activities for cancer patients are listed below:
1) Management of oral complications of high-dose chemotherapy and/or stem cell transplant before treatment begins
2) Prevention and treatment of oral complications during chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy
3) Perioperative dental management for the prevention of postoperative pneumonia with oral, pharynx and esophageal surgery
4) Making prostheses for restoration of postoperative facial defects
5) Prevention and treatment of medication-
associated osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ)
6) Cooperation business of a medical department and dentistry for the solution to dental problems of cancer patients
- The number of total patients: 16,254
- The number of new patients: 3,206
Education
Lectures and practices concerning the oral health care were regularly held for nurses and residents.
Future prospects
*Making a new system that strengthen the collaboration with nurses ~ An emphasis on preventive dental intervention, carried out with the screening of oral cavity problem
*Contributing to the collaboration of Medicine and Dentistry in cancer care hospitals in the region