A scoping assessment of dental services at designated head and neck cancer centres in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Dentists serve a crucial role in managing treatment complications for patients with head and neck cancer, including post-radiation caries and oral infection. To date, dental services for head and neck cancer patients in Ontario, Canada have not been well characterized and considerable disparities in allocation, availability, and funding are thought to exist. The current study aims to describe and assess the provision of dental services for head and neck cancer patients in Ontario. METHODS: A mixed methods scoping assessment was conducted. A purposive sample of dentist-in-chiefs at each of Ontario's 9 designated head and neck cancer centres (tertiary centres which meet provincially-set quality and safety standards) was invited to participate. Participants completed a 36-item online survey and 60-minute semi-structured interview which explored perceptions of dental services for head and neck cancer patients at their respective centres, including strengths, gaps, and inequities. If a centre did not have a dentist-in-chief, an alternative stakeholder who was knowledgeable on that centre's dental services participated instead. Thematic analysis of the interview data was completed using a mixed deductive-inductive approach. RESULTS: Survey questionnaires were completed at 7 of 9 designated centres. A publicly funded dental clinic was present at 5 centres, but only 2 centres provided automatic dental assessment for all patients. Survey data from 2 centres were not captured due to these centres' lack of active dental services. Qualitative interviews were conducted at 9 of 9 designated centres and elicited 3 themes: (1) lack of financial resources; (2) heterogeneity in dentistry care provision; and (3) gaps in the continuity of care. Participants noted concerning under-resourcing and limitations/restrictions in funding for dental services across Ontario, resulting in worse health outcomes for vulnerable patients. Extensive advocacy efforts by champions of dental services who have sought to mitigate current disparities in dentistry care were also described. CONCLUSIONS: Inequities exist in the provision of dental services for head and neck cancer patients in Ontario. Data from the current study will broaden the foundation for evidence-based decision-making on the allocation and funding of dental services by government health care agencies.

Clinical outcomes of oral epithelial dysplasia managed by observation versus excision.

IMPORTANCE: Oral potentially malignant disorders, including oral epithelial dysplasia (OED), are a group of conditions with an increased risk of progression to oral cancer. Clinical management of OED is challenging and usually involves monitoring with repeated incisional biopsies or complete surgical excision. OBJECTIVE: To determine if complete surgical excision of OED impacts malignant transformation or improves survival outcomes in lesions that progress to malignancy. DESIGN: A retrospective review of all patients diagnosed with OED between 2009 and 2016 was completed, and patients were followed until January 2022 for disease course and outcomes. RESULTS: Hundred and fifty-five cases of OED met the inclusion criteria. Among the 61 lesions managed by observation, 15 progressed to cancer. Among the 94 lesions managed by surgical excision, 27 progressed to cancer. The overall malignant transformation rate was 27%, with an annual rate of 6.4%. Surgical excision with or without histologically negative margins did not decrease malignant transformation but was associated with lower oncologic staging at the time of diagnosis and improved survival. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Surgical excision of OED with or without negative margins did not reduce the rate of transformation to oral cancer but resulted in lower oncologic staging at diagnosis, leading to improved patient outcomes. Our results support the implementation of more extensive tissue sampling to improve cancer diagnosis and patient outcomes.

Oral cancer screening knowledge and practices among dental professionals at the University of Toronto.

INTRODUCTION: Opportunistic oral cancer screening during visits to the dentist is a non-invasive and accessible option for detection of pre-malignant lesions and early-stage malignancies. The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes towards oral cancer screening among dentists. METHODS: A 42-item survey was sent to 650 dental professionals affiliated with the University of Toronto. Data regarding training/practice characteristics, knowledge of oral cavity cancer, current screening practices, attitudes towards screening, and remuneration were collected. RESULTS: Ninety-one dentists responded. Most obtained their dental degree from Canada (71.4%) and were practicing in large urban centers (87.9%). Most dentists correctly identified the oral tongue (87.8%) and floor of mouth (80%) as the two of most common sites of oral cavity cancer but only 56% correctly identified the most common presentation. 91% performed intra/extra oral examinations at every patient visit. Only 9.9% of dentists discussed the risk factors of oral cancer and 33% were not familiar with resources for smoking cessation and alcohol abuse. International medical graduates were more likely to discuss risk factor management than Canadian medical graduates (p < 0.01). Over 80% of dentists referred to a specialist when a suspected lesion was found. The greatest barrier for oral cancer screening was lack of time. Almost all dentists (98.8%) reported that their screening practices do not differ depending on the patient's insurance status and 63.8% reported compensation would not influence their decision to perform oral examinations. CONCLUSION: Most dentists have a good knowledge of the presentation and risk factors associated with oral cavity cancer. Most dentists perform screening with every patient, with no influence from compensation and insurance status. Dentists are therefore an excellent first contact for oral cavity cancer screening for the general public and for high-risk populations.

Surgical Therapy in Patients With Medication-Related Osteonecrosis of the Jaw Is Associated With Disease Resolution and Improved Quality of Life: A Prospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: Although recent evidence has suggested the value of operative therapy for the management of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ), its effectiveness remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to measure and compare MRONJ disease resolution and changes to the quality of life (QoL) between operative and nonoperative management of MRONJ. METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study. Consecutive MRONJ patients presenting to Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center (September 2016 to August 2020) were recruited and divided by the treatments provided into operative and nonoperative groups. The primary and secondary outcome variables were disease resolution and QoL at 6 months, respectively. Disease resolution was defined as mucosal coverage with an absence of pain, and QoL was measured via the MRONJ-QoL questionnaire. The primary and secondary outcomes, after adjusting for potential confounders, were assessed via multivariate logistic regression and multivariate linear regression analyses, respectively, with significance set to P < .05. RESULTS: Sixty patients were included in this study. Of these, 40 patients received operative treatment, and 20 received nonoperative treatment. In the unadjusted analyses, operative therapy was found to be significantly associated with both disease resolution and improvement in QoL (relative risk 6.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.78 to 25.6, P < .001; and MRONJ-QoL score improvement of 3.35, 95% CI 0.16 to 6.54, P = .04). When controlling for potential confounders, operative therapy was found to be significantly associated with disease resolution when compared with nonoperative therapy (adjusted odds ratio 46.2, 95% CI 5.57 to 383.9, P < .001). Linear regression analysis also showed operative therapy to be significantly associated with improved QoL compared with nonoperative therapy (adjusted MRONJ-QoL score improvement of 3.72, 95% CI 0.34 to 7.11, P = .03). CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated operative therapy to be significantly associated with disease resolution and improvement in QoL.

Identification of specific clinical risk factors associated with the malignant transformation of oral epithelial dysplasia.

BACKGROUND: Factors that increase the risk of malignant transformation of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) are not completely elucidated. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed assessing risk factors for transformation of OED, and cancer staging for transformed cases at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. RESULTS: Two-hundred four patients were diagnosed with OED, and 16.7% (34) underwent malignant transformation. Risk factors associated with transformation included: heavy tobacco smoking, excessive EtOH consumption, non-homogenous leukoplakia, size >200 mm2 , moderate dysplasia or greater than moderate, progression of dysplasia grades, and immunosuppression. Transformed cases followed for a dysplastic lesion were associated with a stage-I cancer diagnosis, and cancer cases with no prior biopsy were associated with a stage-IV diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to commonly cited risk factors, immunosuppression was associated with malignant transformation, including the use of topical steroids. Analyzing risk factors can help clinicians define risk of progression in patients with OED.

Public and Professional Perceptions of the Scope of Practice of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.

PURPOSE: To investigate and compare the general public's, general dentists', and primary care physicians' level of knowledge of the scope of practice of oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMSs). We hypothesized that there is a generalized lack of knowledge of the scope of practice of oral-maxillofacial surgery, with the general public being the least informed and the general dentists the most educated. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey study was conducted via a mail-out survey that was delivered to a random sample of the general public, general dentists, and primary care physicians in Ontario, Canada. A total of 1800 participants were selected. The survey consisted of a demographic screener along with 24 clinical scenarios in which the participants could select all the specialists they thought were capable of completing the treatment. Inferential statistics were computed using a chi-square test to compare responses between the groups and identified any significant differences between subjects for each of the 24 scenarios with P value set at 0.05. RESULTS: Total response rate of 50.1% (n = 902) was achieved. The majority of health professionals (100% dentists, 95.5% primary care physicians) have heard of oral-maxillofacial surgery, in contrast to only 73.7% of the general public (P < .001). There was a general lack of awareness of oral-maxillofacial surgery scope of practice by all groups wherein OMSs were selected less than 50% of the time in 10 (general dentists), 14 (primary care physicians), and 16 (general public) of 24 clinical scenarios. CONCLUSION: Greater than 25% of the general public are unaware of OMS. More concerning, the general public and health professionals as a whole are unfamiliar with the full scope of practice of OMSs. For enhancing access to care by qualified specialists, educational programs highlighting key aspects of oral-maxillofacial surgery should be developed and distributed to all populations.

Expanding Awareness of the Distribution and Biologic Potential of Ectomesenchymal Chondromyxoid Tumor.

Ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor is a rare neoplasm of uncertain histogenesis that typically occurs in the anterior dorsal tongue. Recent reports in the literature have described rare examples of gingival, palatal and tonsillar lesions. Histologically, ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumors are typically well-circumscribed, lacking overtly aggressive features. Herein we report a tumor arising in the right mandible that is morphologically and molecularly consistent with ectomesenchymal chondromyxoid tumor. This case furthers awareness of the extra-glossal distribution of this neoplasm; moreover, it suggests that a subset of these tumors have the potential for locally aggressive behaviour.

Osteoradionecrosis of the mandible: a case series at a single institution.

BACKGROUND: Osteoradionecrosis (ORN) defines exposed irradiated bone, which fails to heal over a period of 3-6 months without evidence of residual or recurrent tumor. In the previous decades, a staging and treatment protocol suggested by Marx, has dominated the approach to ORN. However, recently this paradigm is shifting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate our institutional experience in managing ORN through a retrospective review of case series from a large urban academic cancer centre. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted to include all ORN cases from 2003 to 2009 diagnosed at the Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery and the Department of Dentistry. The staging of ORN was assessed as affected by tumor site, tumor stage, radiotherapy modality and dose, chemotherapy, dental work, and time to diagnosis. The effectiveness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) and surgery in the management of ORN was evaluated. RESULTS: Fourteen cases of ORN were documented (incidence 0.84%). Primary subsites included tonsils, tongue, retromolar trigone, parotid gland, soft palate and buccal mucosa. There were 5 (35.7%) stage 1, 3 (21.4%) stage 2, and 6 (42.9%) stage 3 cases. ORN severity was not significantly associated with gender, smoking, alcohol use, tumor site, T stage, N stage, AJCC stage, or treatment modality (radiation alone, surgery with adjuvant radiation or adjuvant chemoradiation). Patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy developed less severe ORN compared to those treated with conventional radiotherapy (p < 0.015). ORN stage did not correlate with radiation dose. In one patient only dental procedures were performed following radiation and could be implicated as the cause of ORN. HBO therapy failed to prevent ORN progression. Surgical treatment was required for most stage 2 (partial resections and free tissue transfers) and stage 3 patients (mandibulectomies and free tissue transfers, including two flaps in one patient). At an average follow up of 26 months, all patients were cancer-free, and there was no evidence of ORN in 84% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: In early ORN, we advocate a conservative approach with local care, while reserving radical resections with robust reconstruction with vascularized free tissue for advanced stages.

Bisphosphonate associated osteonecrosis of the jaw.

In 2003, the first reports describing osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients receiving bisphosphonates (BP) were published. These cases occurred in patients with cancer receiving high-dose intravenous BP; however, 5% of the cases were in patients with osteoporosis receiving low-dose bisphosphonate therapy. We present the results of a systematic review of the incidence, risk factors, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of BP associated ONJ. We conducted a comprehensive literature search for relevant studies on BP associated ONJ in oncology and osteoporosis patients published before February 2008.All selected relevant articles were sorted by area of focus. Data for each area were abstracted by 2 independent reviewers. The results showed that the diagnosis is made clinically. Prospective data evaluating the incidence and etiologic factors are very limited. In oncology patients receiving high-dose intravenous BP, ONJ appears to be dependent on the dose and duration of therapy, with an estimated incidence of 1%-12% at 36 months of exposure. In osteoporosis patients, it is rare, with an estimated incidence < 1 case per 100,000 person-years of exposure. The incidence of ONJ in the general population is not known. Currently, there is insufficient evidence to confirm a causal link between low-dose BP use in the osteoporosis patient population and ONJ. We concluded BP associated ONJ is associated with high-dose BP therapy primarily in the oncology patient population. Prevention and treatment strategies are currently based on expert opinion and focus on maintaining good oral hygiene and conservative surgical intervention.

Dental surgery for patients on anticoagulant therapy with warfarin: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of continuing warfarin therapy on the bleeding risk of patients undergoing elective dental surgical procedures. METHODS: Data sources were the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, a manual citation review of the relevant literature, content experts and relevant abstracts from the proceedings of the International Association for Dental Research. Study selection was carried out independently by 2 reviewers, as was quality assessment. Data extraction was done by 3 reviewers. Differences were resolved by consensus. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of continuing the regular dose of warfarin therapy with the effects of discontinuing or modifying the dose on the incidence of bleeding in patients undergoing dental procedures. RESULTS: Five trials (a total of 553 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Compared with interrupting warfarin therapy (either partial or complete), perioperative continuation of warfarin with patients" usual dose was not associated with an increased risk for clinically significant nonmajor bleeding (relative risk [RR], 0.71; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.39-1.28; p = 0.65; I2 = 0%) or an increased risk for minor bleeding (RR, 1.19; 95% CI: 0.90-1.58; p = 0.22; I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Continuing the regular dose of warfarin therapy does not seem to confer an increased risk of bleeding compared with discontinuing or modifying the warfarin dose for patients undergoing minor dental procedures.

Dental surgery for patients on anticoagulant therapy with warfarin: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of continuing warfarin therapy on the bleeding risk of patients undergoing elective dental surgical procedures. METHODS: Data sources were the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, a manual citation review of the relevant literature, content experts and relevant abstracts from the proceedings of the International Association for Dental Research. Study selection was carried out independently by two reviewers, as was quality assessment. Data extraction was done by three reviewers. Differences were resolved by consensus. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials that compared the effects of continuing the regular dose of warfarin therapy with the effects of discontinuing or modifying the dose on the incidence of bleeding in patients undergoing dental procedures. RESULTS: Five trials (a total of 553 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Compared with interrupting warfarin therapy (either partial or complete), perioperative continuation of warfarin with patients' usual dose was not associated with an increased risk for clinically significant nonmajor bleeding (relative risk [RR], 0.71; 95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 0.39-1.28; p = 0.65; 12 = 0%) or an increased risk for minor bleeding (RR, 1.19; 95% CI: 0.90-1.58; p = 0.22; 12 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Continuing the regular dose of warfarin therapy does not seem to confer an increased risk of bleeding compared with discontinuing or modifying the warfarin dose for patients undergoing minor dental procedures.

Canadian consensus practice guidelines for bisphosphonate associated osteonecrosis of the jaw.

OBJECTIVE: Following publication of the first reports of osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) in patients receiving bisphosphonates in 2003, a call for national multidisciplinary guidelines based upon a systematic review of the current evidence was made by the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (CAOMS) in association with national and international societies concerned with ONJ. The purpose of the guidelines is to provide recommendations regarding diagnosis, identification of at-risk patients, and prevention and management strategies, based on current evidence and consensus. These guidelines were developed for medical and dental practitioners as well as for oral pathologists and related specialists. METHODS: The multidisciplinary task force established by the CAOMS reviewed all relevant areas of research relating to ONJ associated with bisphosphonate use and completed a systematic review of current literature. These evidence-based guidelines were developed utilizing a structured development methodology. A modified Delphi consensus process enabled consensus among the multidisciplinary task force members. These guidelines have since been reviewed by external experts and endorsed by national and international medical, dental, oral surgery, and oral pathology societies. RESULTS: RECOMMENDATIONS regarding diagnosis, prevention, and management of ONJ were made following analysis of all current data pertaining to this condition. ONJ has many etiologic factors including head and neck irradiation, trauma, periodontal disease, local malignancy, chemotherapy, and glucocorticoid therapy. High-dose intravenous bisphosphonates have been identified as a risk factor for ONJ in the oncology patient population. Low-dose bisphosphonate use in patients with osteoporosis or other metabolic bone disease has not been causally linked to the development of ONJ. Prevention, staging, and treatment recommendations are based upon collective expert opinion and current data, which has been limited to case reports, case series, surveys, retrospective studies, and 2 prospective observational studies. RECOMMENDATIONS: In all oncology patients, a thorough dental examination including radiographs should be completed prior to the initiation of intravenous bisphosphonate therapy. In this population, any invasive dental procedure is ideally completed prior to the initiation of high-dose bisphosphonate therapy. Non-urgent procedures are preferably delayed for 3 to 6 months following interruption of bisphosphonate therapy. Osteoporosis patients receiving oral or intravenous bisphosphonates do not require a dental examination prior to initiating therapy in the presence of appropriate dental care and good oral hygiene. Stopping smoking, limiting alcohol intake, and maintaining good oral hygiene should be emphasized for all patients receiving bisphosphonate therapy. Individuals with established ONJ are most appropriately managed with supportive care including pain control, treatment of secondary infection, removal of necrotic debris, and mobile sequestrate. Aggressive debridement is contraindicated. CONCLUSION: Our multidisciplinary guidelines, which provide a rational evidence-based approach to the diagnosis, prevention, and management of bisphosphonate-associated ONJ in Canada, are based on the best available published data and the opinion of national and international experts involved in the prevention and management of ONJ.

Pigmented lesions of the oral cavity: review, differential diagnosis, and case presentations.

Pigmented lesions are commonly found in the mouth. Such lesions represent a variety of clinical entities, ranging from physiologic changes to manifestations of systemic illnesses and malignant neoplasms. Evaluation of a patient presenting with a pigmented lesion should include a full medical and dental history, extraoral and intraoral examinations and, in some cases, biopsy and laboratory investigations. In this paper, an algorithm is proposed for the assessment of pigmented lesions of the oral cavity, and 3 patients with such lesions are described.