Clinical trial · Interventional
Prevention of Caries in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Who Underwent Radiotherapy
Prevention of Caries in Head and Neck Cancer Survivors Who Underwent Radiotherapy: a Randomized Controlled Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
One of the long-term side effects of head and neck radiotherapy (RT) is radiation-induced tooth decay. Hyposalivation, associated with radiation therapy, further increases caries susceptibility and caries progression, due to the lack of salivary protective effects and of tooth minerals useful for remineralization processes, especially calcium phosphate (CaP). Dental extractions that could be required in case of severe tooth decay expose the patient to the risk of osteoradionecrosis of the jaws (i.e. the necrosis of the bone tissue following a local trauma, including surgical trauma). This protocol aims at verifying the effectiveness of CaP mousse in the prevention of carious lesions, added to topical fluoride. A randomized controlled clinical trial will be performed comparing CaP + fluoride treatment versus no treatment in head and neck cancer patients, who received radiotherapy. The hypothesis is that CaP, which is lacking in the mouth of these patients due to hyposalivation, can combine with fluoride to promote remineralization, reducing the risk of carious lesions.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caries,Dental | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Head and Neck Cancer | Malignant Head and Neck Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
| Radiotherapy; Complications | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
Interventions
Interventions (1)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application of CaP dental mousse | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- CaP + Fluoride
- description
- Irradiated head and neck cancer patients receiving topical CaP mousse to be applied at home (once a day for the first 3 months, then once a day for one week per month as maintenance), besides topical fluoride (F) in form of professional varnishes (every 6 months) and home products (once a day oral rinse with F mouthwash; three times a day toothpaste with brushing).
- interventionNames
- Other: Application of CaP dental mousse
- type
- NO_INTERVENTION
- label
- Only fluoride
- description
- Irradiated head and neck cancer patients receiving only topical fluoride (F) in form of professional varnishes (every 6 months) and home products (once a day oral rinse with F mouthwash; three times a day toothpaste with brushing). Topical fluoride is included in the standard of care, according to national and international guidelines.
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Number of new cavitated caries per each patient (incidence of caries)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * previous head and neck radiotherapy for oncological treatment Exclusion Criteria: * complete edentulism * pregnancy or breastfeeding
References
Publications (4)
- BACKGROUNDBreslin M, Taylor C. Incidence of new carious lesions and tooth loss in head and neck cancer patients: a retrospective case series from a single unit. Br Dent J. 2020 Oct;229(8):539-543. doi: 10.1038/s41415-020-2222-2. Epub 2020 Oct 23. PMID 33097891
- BACKGROUNDEl-Rabbany M, Duchnay M, Raziee HR, Zych M, Tenenbaum H, Shah PS, Azarpazhooh A. Interventions for preventing osteoradionecrosis of the jaws in adults receiving head and neck radiotherapy. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019 Nov 20;2019(11):CD011559. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD011559.pub2. PMID 31745986
- BACKGROUNDPalmier NR, Migliorati CA, Prado-Ribeiro AC, de Oliveira MCQ, Vechiato Filho AJ, de Goes MF, Brandao TB, Lopes MA, Santos-Silva AR. Radiation-related caries: current diagnostic, prognostic, and management paradigms. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2020 Jul;130(1):52-62. doi: 10.1016/j.oooo.2020.04.003. Epub 2020 May 19. PMID 32444333
- BACKGROUNDTao S, Zhu Y, Yuan H, Tao S, Cheng Y, Li J, He L. Efficacy of fluorides and CPP-ACP vs fluorides monotherapy on early caries lesions: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2018 Apr 30;13(4):e0196660. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0196660. eCollection 2018. PMID 29709015