Late adverse effects of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment on developing dentition.

BACKGROUND: Childhood cancer survivors show a variety of late adverse effects on dental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence and severity of dental abnormalities in permanent dentition in childhood leukemia survivors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of panoramic radiographs was performed for 178 childhood leukemia survivors aged below 17 years at the time of diagnosis. Sex, age at diagnosis, interval between ALL diagnosis and the follow-up radiograph, treatment protocol, and risk grouping were recorded. Abnormalities of tooth development and defect index were used to assess the frequency and severity of dental abnormalities. RESULTS: One hundred eight (61%) patients had no dental abnormalities at follow-up examination at a median of 6.1 years after diagnosis. Microdontia was more frequent in children under 6 years of age at the time of diagnosis (5.7% vs. 0.6%, p < .001). Significant differences were noted between distinct ALL treatment protocols with more common microdontia in patients treated according to the NOPHO ALL2008 protocol. Tooth agenesis was more frequent in patients that underwent therapy according to high-risk arms compared to intermediate- or standard-risk arms (3.8% vs. 1.4%, p = .01). Patients under 6 years of age at diagnosis had a significantly higher average defect index score than older patients (7.0 vs. 2.8, p = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents who received ALL treatment were at risk for dental damage. Young age and high-intensity therapy were associated with the severity of dental abnormalities.

Randomized controlled and double-blinded study of Caphosol versus saline oral rinses in pediatric patients with cancer.

BACKGROUND: Oral mucositis (OM) is a significant side effect of cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare topically administered Caphosol to saline rinses in the prevention of mucositis in pediatric cancer patients. PROCEDURE: A controlled, double-blinded, and randomized clinical crossover study recruited patients between 2 to 17.99 years of age who were diagnosed with a malignancy and were receiving either high-dose methotrexate (≥1 g/m2 ), anthracycline, or cisplatin chemotherapy (NCT0280733). All patients received two 7-day cycles of the mouth rinses; that is, one cycle of Caphosol and one cycle of saline in a randomized order. Oral changes and symptoms were evaluated using the World Health Organisation (WHO) toxicity scale and the Children's International Mucositis Evaluation Scale (ChIMES). The primary endpoint was the frequency and severity of OM and oral symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were recruited to the study, of whom 45 were randomized with a median age of 6.5 years (range 2.1-17.1 years). No cases of severe OM were observed. Grade ≥ 3 oral symptoms were present at least once in six (13%) patients during the Caphosol cycle and 13 (29%) patients during the saline cycle (P = .12). The peak of symptom scores was evident at around day 4-7 after administration of the chemotherapy with no marked differences between the rinse solutions. Multivariable regression analysis did not indicate a benefit of using Caphosol over the saline solution. CONCLUSIONS: No difference in prevention of oral mucositis was observed between the use of Caphosol or saline rinses.

Oral and Otorhinolaryngological Findings in Adults Who Were Diagnosed With Pediatric Onset Crohn's Disease: A Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND: Up to 50% of pediatric patients with Crohn's disease (CD) report oral manifestations, but less is known about their oral health when they become adults. GOALS: Our aim was to provide detailed descriptions of the presence of oral and otorhinolaryngological manifestations in patients with pediatric onset CD once they reached adulthood, to look for predisposing factors and to compare the findings to matched controls. STUDY: Adult patients diagnosed with CD in childhood at the Children's Hospital, University of Helsinki, Finland, after 2000 were invited for a follow-up appointment in 2016 and 24 were examined by a dentist and otorhinolaryngologist. They were compared with 22 matched controls from the Population Register Centre. The participants completed questionnaires about their general health, any special diets, and their health-related quality of life. Their nutrition was evaluated from food records. RESULTS: Patients with CD had minor oral manifestations at a median of 9 years after their childhood diagnosis and the most common was angular cheilitis, which affected 6 patients and 1 control, but was not statistically significant (P=0.0984). CD with perianal abscessing disease correlated to orofacial findings (P=0.0312). Most of the patients had normal otorhinolaryngological findings. Subjects with oral lesions had lower mean health-related quality of life scores than subjects without oral findings and the differences were clinically but not statistically significant. Oral manifestations were not associated with differences in energy intake. CONCLUSIONS: Oral manifestations in adult patients with pediatric onset CD were mild and were not associated with otorhinolaryngological pathology.

Detailed Follow-up Study of Pediatric Orofacial Granulomatosis Patients.

OBJECTIVES: Orofacial granulomatosis (OFG) is a chronic inflammatory condition affecting the orofacial area. Its connection to Crohn disease (CD) is debated. Our aim was to describe a cohort of pediatric patients with OFG in detail, study the long-term behavior of OFG, and evaluate factors predicting CD in patients with OFG. METHODS: We invited patients diagnosed with OFG at 2 university hospitals, Finland for a follow-up appointment. Patients (n = 29) were examined by a dentist and an otorhinolaryngologist using a structural schema. Orofacial findings were also recorded using digital photographing. Patients filled in questionnaires about general health and special diets. Patients' nutrition was evaluated from food records. The findings were compared between patients with OFG only and OFG with CD. RESULTS: Patients with CD had more findings in the orofacial area (total score for orofacial findings median 11) compared to patients with OFG only (total score median 7.5). There was no statistically significant difference in the type of lesions between these groups, except the upper lip was more often affected in patients with CD (n = 11) than in patients with OFG only (n = 0). Most of the patients had normal otorhinolaryngological findings. All patients with elevated anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibody A levels had CD (n = 6) and they presented with more orofacial findings (total score) than patients with normal levels of anti-S cerevisiae antibody A (P = 0.0311). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term follow-up of pediatric-onset patients with OFG shows good prognosis. Patients with OFG do not seem to have otorhinolaryngological comorbidity. Anti-S cerevisiae antibody A may serve as a factor to indicate the possible presence of underlying CD in patients with OFG, but further studies are requested.