Cracked Tooth Syndrome in Irradiated Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Publication date: Available online 23 June 2018
Source:Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology and Oral Radiology
Author(s): Natalia Rangel Palmier, Cristhian Camilo Madrid, Mariana de Pauli Paglioni, César Rivera, Beatriz Nascimento F. Lebre Martins, Anna Luíza Damaceno Araújo, João Victor Salvajoli, Marcio Ajudarte Lopes, Ana Carolina Prado Ribeiro, Thaís Bianca Brandão, Alan Roger Santos-Silva
ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to assess the presence of enamel craze lines (ECL), part of the spectrum of the so called cracked tooth syndrome, in the surface of teeth irradiated in vivo.Material and MethodsForty teeth extracted from head and neck cancer patients were paired matched and equally divided into 4 groups: non-carious irradiated (G1); non-carious control (G2); radiation-related caries (RRC) (G3), and carious control (G4). Samples were examined for ECL detection with a fiber-optic transillumination device, photographed and ECL mean size, number, and patterns of topographic distribution in tooth crown were determined. Groups were compared accordingly: G1 vs. G2; G3 vs. G4.Results538 ECL were analyzed from which 30.1% were found in non-carious irradiated teeth, 19.3% in non-carious control, 27.6% in RRC and 23% in carious control. Non-carious irradiated teeth presented higher quantities of ECL than non-carious control (p<0.05). Higher incidences of ECL were identified in specific enamel topographies of anterior G1 and G3 samples (p<0.05). There was no correlation between ECL size/numbers and radiation isodoses delivery to teeth.ConclusionIncreased incidence of ECL may indicate weakened enamel structure in irradiated teeth, which might play a role in the onset and progression of RRC.



https://ift.tt/2ltC4WT