Prevention of dental caries by regular overnight application of a low-concentration fluoride gel loaded in a custom tray in patients undergoing radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: A preliminary study

Abstract

Background: Some studies have reported topical application of 1.0%–2.0% fluoride gel in a custom tray for 4–5 minutes every day for the prevention of radiation-related dental caries. However, in Japan, the concentration of fluoride used by patients is limited to less than 0.15%. The efficacy of a low-concentration fluoride gel in a custom tray for the prevention of radiation-related dental caries has not been investigated. Methods and Material: In this preliminary study, we enrolled 13 patients with head and neck cancer who underwent radiotherapy. They wore a custom tray containing 0.145% sodium fluoride gel during sleep every night and were examined for newly developed dental caries 1 year later. Results: No new dental caries were found in the 13 patients 1 year after radiotherapy, and no adverse events were observed. Conclusions: We conclude that low-concentration fluoride gel in a custom tray during sleep could prevent radiation-related dental caries, and we plan to conduct a multi-center phase III randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of this method for the prevention of radiation-related dental caries.

Keywords

• dental caries
• fluorine compounds
• head and neck neoplasms
• sodium fluoride