Head and neck radiotherapy-induced changes in dentomaxillofacial structures detected on panoramic radiographs: A systematic review

PURPOSE: This study aimed to summarize the impact of neck and head radiation treatment on maxillofacial structures detected on panoramic radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this systematic review, the authors searched PubMed Central, Embase, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for original research studies up to February 2020 that included the following Medical Subject Headings keywords: words related to “radiotherapy” and synonyms combined with keywords related to “panoramic radiography” and “oral diagnosis” and synonyms. Only original studies in English that investigated the maxillofacial effects of radiotherapy via panoramic radiographs were included. The quality of the selected manuscripts was evaluated by assessing the risk of bias using Cochrane's ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized studies. RESULTS: Thirty-three studies were eligible and included in this review. The main objectives pertained to the assessment of the effects of radiation on maxillofacial structures, including bone architecture alterations, periodontal space widening, teeth development abnormalities, osteoradionecrosis, and implant bone loss. The number of participants evaluated ranged from 8 to 176. CONCLUSION: The interaction between ionizing radiation and maxillofacial structures results in hazard to the tissues involved, particularly the bone tissue, periosteum, connective tissue of the mucosa, and endothelium. Hard tissue changes due to radiation therapy can be detected on panoramic radiographs.