Oral Health of Korean Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

BACKGROUND: Association between periodontitis and of head and neck carcinoma was suggested. In the present study, we evaluated the oral health status of patients with head and neck carcinoma and analyzed the relationship between cancer characteristics and oral health. METHODS: Oral health of 40 patients with head and neck carcinoma was examined. Decayed teeth, missing teeth, plaque index, gingival index, and probing depth were measured. Cancer type and site were recorded based on the patients’ medical records. RESULTS: The average age of participants was 60.10 ± 8.99 years, and 35 of participants were male. The decay or missing teeth index was 5.43 ± 5.57, and the plaque index, gingival index, and probing depth were 1.37 ± 1.03, 1.57 ± 0.84, and 4.13 ± 1.45, respectively. These indexes showed no significant difference according to the type or site of cancer (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that there was no correlation between oral health parameters and characteristics of head and neck carcinoma.