Oral alterations associated with antineoplastic treatment and the importance of dental care for oncology patients: an integrative review

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer treatment through chemotherapy and radiotherapy consists of destroying or preventing the growth of tumor cells, aiming at curing or controlling the disease. However, these treatments can cause damage to healthy cells and consequent side effects, especially in the oral cavity, causing changes such as: mucositis, xerostomia, dysgeusia, oral infections, trismus and osteoradionecrosis. Objective: To map and summarize the main evidence about the importance of prevention and care for oral alterations, as well as dental management for patients undergoing cancer treatment. Methodology: Integrative review, based on the identification of the theme and elaboration of the guiding question with a systematic search of the literature carried out between the months of September and November 2022. The descriptors and Booleans were defined after being identified on the platforms Descriptors in Health Sciences (DeCS) and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), with subsequent search in the Virtual Health Library (VHL) database, Google Scholar and PubMed, excluding articles that did not address the topic in question and studies published more than five years ago. Results: A final sample of 07 studies was obtained, after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The selected articles were characterized according to authorship/year of publication, title, journal of publication and type of study. There was agreement among all of them about oral changes during cancer treatment, emphasizing the need for dental care in these patients before, during and after antineoplastic therapy. Conclusions: The performance of the dental surgeon in the care of cancer patients is of great relevance, since oral health conditions impact the quality of life of these individuals. In short, the present study applies to both professionals and academics, contributing to the understanding of oral alterations and care for the patient's well-being.