How to improve the survival rate of implants after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer?

Implants have been widely used in restorative treatment for patients who have undergone head and neck cancer surgery. With the development of combination treatment of head and neck cancer, radiotherapy has been a common means of therapy. However, it could induce various changes in hard and soft tissues and reduce the success and survival rate of the implants. Some research, using either animal models or clinical studies, have shown that certain strategies could be used for improving the survival rate of implants. In this review, we discussed the changes in both hard and soft tissues, which may reduce the survival rate of the implants, and the proposed methods for improving the survival rate of patients after radiotherapy. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT: [Image: see text]