921 Audit of Pre-Radiation Therapy Extractions at Dublin Dental University Hospital

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Abstract Introduction The time between diagnosis of head and neck cancer and commencing treatment involves multi – disciplinary input from several specialities. Dental assessments are carried out prior to radiotherapy in order to instigate preventive care and remove all unrestorable teeth. Post – radiation dental extractions have been shown to increase the risk of osteoradionecrosis (ORN). Method Our hospital handles the majority of the pre - radiotherapy dental assessments in the east of Ireland. We examined the patient records of all patients attending the radiotherapy clinics between January 2018 and December 2019, assessing the time interval between the removal of teeth prior to radiotherapy and the start of radiotherapy. A secondary aim was to determine from the patient records whether any diagnosis of ORN was established post – radiation. Results 15 out of 147 patients had extractions less than 2 weeks prior to radiotherapy. In total, three patients developed ORN. One had extractions less than 2 weeks prior to radiotherapy, one had post radiotherapy extractions, while the other’s timing was unknown. Conclusions Most patients received timely care. A referral for dental assessment early in treatment planning is desirable. Despite the small sample size, an association between ORN and extractions just before and following radiotherapy was found.