BMJ 2003;326:282 ( 1 February )

Letters

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck

    Oral care for patients with cancer needs more than lip service
    Precancerous lesions in oral cavity of Indian schoolchildren may hint at epidemic

Oral care for patients with cancer needs more than lip service

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---I had hoped to see a mention of the need for oral care for patients with cancer in the review article by Sanderson et al on squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck, but I was again disappointed.1 Patients with head and neck cancers must receive a dental assessment and oral care before and after their treatment to ensure minimisation of oral complications for an improved quality of life. The clinical guidelines published by the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 2000 state that a clear pathway of care is necessary to prevent or minimise oral complications.2

However, many patients with cancer still receive no proper dental assessment or preventive treatment to minimise or avert the known and common oral complications of radiation treatment. This may be due, in part, to the lack of resources and recognised local standards of dental care for such patients, as well . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

Squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck • Commentary: Head and neck carcinomas in the developing world
R J Sanderson, J A D Ironside, and William I Wei
BMJ 2002 325: 822-827. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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