Oral prehabilitation for patients with head and neck cancer: getting it right - the Restorative Dentistry-UK consensus on a multidisciplinary approach to oral and dental assessment and planning prior to cancer treatment

McCaul, L. K. et al. (2022) Oral prehabilitation for patients with head and neck cancer: getting it right - the Restorative Dentistry-UK consensus on a multidisciplinary approach to oral and dental assessment and planning prior to cancer treatment. British Dental Journal, 233(9), pp. 794-800. (doi: 10.1038/s41415-022-5197-3) (PMID:36369570)

Abstract

Historically, oral and dental issues for head and neck cancer patients were often not considered until after cancer treatment was complete. As a result, outcomes for oral rehabilitation were sometimes suboptimal. Inconsistencies in service delivery models and qualification, training and experience of staff delivering dental care often compounded this problem, making research and audit almost impossible. Collaborative working by consultants in restorative dentistry from all over the UK as part of a Restorative Dentistry-UK (RD UK) subgroup, renamed more recently as the RD-UK Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Excellence Network (CEN), has re-emphasised the importance of specialist restorative dentistry intervention at the outset of the head and neck cancer pathway to optimise outcomes of patient care. The CEN has driven several initiatives, reflecting Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT) principles aimed at reducing unwarranted variation. This improved consistency in approach and optimised collaborative working of the team now presents a better environment for multicentre audit and research. Ultimately, this should result in a continued improvement in patient and carer experience.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Harper, Dr Victoria and Paterson, Mr Andrew and MacNab, Dr Lorna and Macinnes, Mr Andrew
• Authors: McCaul, L. K., Barclay, S., Nixon, P., Yule, P. L., Trainor, J., Stevenon, B., Paterson, A., Nicol, A., Keys, W., Donachie, M., Barker, D., Rollings, S., Killough, S., Ban, J., Chatzipantelis, A., Gaitonde, P., Ranka, M., Ali, Z., Macinnes, A., Taylor, C., Gopakumar, A., Sharma, P., Harper, V., Rasartnam, L., Toor, I., and Rodriguez, J. M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing > Dental School
• Journal Name: British Dental Journal
• Publisher: Springer Nature
• ISSN: 0007-0610
• ISSN (Online): 1476-5373
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Authors
• First Published: First published in British Dental Journal 233(9): 794-800
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License