Advocacy

Oral Health Resources

Find downloadable information about common dental issues and procedures. For more information catering to your patients’ needs, visit www.KnowYourTeeth.com, the Academy of General Dentistry’s public Web site.

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   >>> Cancer (and Oral Care)   Related articles:
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  • Oral Cancer Screenings & Your Dental Visit
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    • >> Cancer Therapy Causes Oral Complications
  • Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Lesion Identified at the Dentist
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    Cancer Therapy Causes Oral Complications

    More than 1 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in the upcoming year, and a large percentage will develop serious oral complications as the result of their treatment.

     

    Although cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation have become more powerful and therapeutically successful over the past 10 years, these cancer-fighting treatments affect healthy tissues as well. The mouth is a frequent site of acute and chronic side effects, which can diminish quality of life for cancer patients and negatively affect treatment.

     

     "Oral complications are often cited as the cause of the interruption and premature termination of treatment regimens for cancer patients," says Spencer Redding, DDS, MD. "Therefore, the oral complications of cancer therapy have the potential to adversely affect treatment outcomes, cancer prognosis and quality of life for millions of patients."

     

    Updated: February 2007

     
    The Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) is a non-profit organization of more than 35,000 general dentists dedicated to staying up-to-date in the profession through continuing education. A general dentist is the primary care provider for patients of all ages and is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, management and overall coordination of services related to patient's oral health needs. Learn more about AGD member dentists or find more information on dental health topics at www.agd.org/public.

    Contact: The AGD public relations department at 312.440.4308 or media@agd.org.

    Note: Information that appears in General Dentistry, the AGD's peer-reviewed journal, AGD Impact, the AGD's newsmagazine and related press releases do not necessarily reflect the endorsement of the AGD.