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Introduction: Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect of radiotherapy (RT) or radio-chemotherapy (RT/CT) for head and neck cancers. It causes lesions leading to impairment of the quality of life, dysphagia, pain, and in up to 20% of cases, a dosimetry concession, decreasing local tumor control, thereby impacting the survival rate. Positive results of photobiomodulation (PBM) to treat it have been reported in the literature. PBM has multiple parameters (type of laser, emission mode, number of sessions to be performed, wavelength, power, energy, fluence, exposure time, number of points) making it difficult to implement in clinical practice. Materials and methods: A literature search strategy was applied in Medline by selecting articles published between 2010 and 2020 to answer the following research question: “In patients treated with RT or RT/CT, what is the place of PBM in the management of OM?”, in accordance with PICO (patient, intervention, comparison and outcomes) criteria. The inclusion criteria were all original articles (clinical cases and clinical studies) which answered the research question. Meta-analyses, systematic reviews of the literature and journals, animal or in vitro studies, studies published in a language other than French or English, and full-text articles not accessible via inter-university credits were excluded. Results: Seventeen articles were included, representing 1576 patients. The PBM was intraoral in 16 papers and combined intra- and extra-oral emission in 1 paper. InGaAlP diode laser and HeNe laser significantly reduced OM compared with placebo in 62.5% and 75% of the studies, respectively. Pain reduction was poorly or not documented and when it was, it did not correlate with the reduction of analgesics. Temporary or permanent interruption of radiotherapy was also poorly documented. Discussion: The MASCC/ISOO (2019) report is an important step forward to establish a reproducible protocol for PBM, which as our results show, is heterogeneous in use. Our results showed that the studies started PBM on the first day of RT, using a wavelength of 660 nm for diode laser and 632.8 nm for HeNe laser. However, there is no scientific evidence vis-à-vis the values for power, energy, fluence, exposure time, or number of points. Although PBM appears to be effective in reducing OM scores, its effectiveness on improving patient quality of life, pain, painkiller consumption, compliance with treatment and the occurrence of complications remains to be defined. The relationship between PBM and survival rate was not an objective of this work. We found that of the 17 articles, 15 stated that they did not illuminate the tumor site during PBM sessions. Conclusion: The main objective of this work was to determine the place of PBM in the treatment of OM. Overall, the results on OM scores were favorable in almost ¾ of the studies. Despite its efficacy, the questions of the adjustment of the parameters of PBM, the harmonization on OM scale and its safety on carcinologic recurrence remain to be studied. In view of the lack of comparability of studies and the lack of reported data, studies that harmonize endpoints and follow-up criteria are needed to establish a standard protocol.

A 31-year-old man presented with gingival mass-like lesions. The patient reported occasional bleeding from lesions; otherwise, the lesions were asymptomatic. Intraoral examination revealed multiple interdental red/purple soft, sessile, nodular lesions involving both the maxillary and mandibular buccal and lingual gingivae, with poor oral hygiene. After performing incisional biopsy, the patient was diagnosed with pyogenic granuloma. Subsequently, the patient underwent cleaning of his teeth and within only 3 days of dental cleaning, the patient reported rapid regression of all his lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To conduct a long‐term retrospective evaluation of the safety and effectiveness of sialographic balloon dilatation in Stensen's duct stenosis (SDS). Study Design: Retrospective cohort. Setting: Single‐institution academic tertiary referral center. Methods: All SDS balloon dilatations (SSBDs) performed from 2011 to 2017 were monitored. Pain relief was evaluated by a numeric rating scale at 3‐year follow‐up at least. Long‐term glandular swelling frequency patterns, quality of life (QoL), and drug consumption were retrospectively assessed. Procedure‐related complications were recorded. Results: Twenty‐one SSBD procedures were recorded (mean ± SD age, 55 ± 12 years), all performed under local anesthesia. SSBD led to complete dilatation in 7 patients (33%), residual stenosis in 8 (38%), and no dilatation (failure) in 6 (29%). Retrospective analysis of clinical outcomes was possible for 17 patients, 71% of whom presented with long‐term pain relief, at a mean relief of 3.2 points on the numeric rating scale (P <.001). Long after SSBD, patients presented with a mean decrease of 15.4 glandular swellings per month (P <.001). Medical consumption was reduced to 18% of patients taking some drugs because of SDS after SSBD vs 71% before. SSBD showed an impact on QoL in >80% of patients, with mean improvements of 26% and 25% in the percentage point reduction of physical and mental QoL, respectively (P <.001). No complications were noted except temporary discomfort due to the procedure. Conclusion: Despite the advent of sialendoscopy‐guided techniques, SSBD should be considered for SDS treatment, as it is a safe procedure and provides sustained pain relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the recurrence rate of lithiasis following minimally invasive surgery to identify risk factors and mechanisms for recurrence of salivary gland lithiasis. Study Design: Retrospective case series. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted including all patients treated for salivary gland lithiasis by minimally invasive surgery, such as sialendoscopy, intracorporeal lithotripsy, extracorporeal lithotripsy, transoral approach, and combined approach in our Department. We analyzed the recurrence rate of salivary lithiasis, their topography and timeline. Result: Three hundred four patients were included in this study, the mean age was 49 years (range 12–90 years), and the mean duration of follow‐up was 19.8 months (range 0–66 months). Fifteen patients (5%) presented secondary lithiasis. In all but one case, recurrences involved the same gland as primary lithiasis, and most frequently the submandibular gland. Recurrences occurred from 3 to 46 months postoperatively. Fourteen patients, who presented recurrence, had been initially treated by transoral approach. Recurrent lithiasis were treated by transoral approach or submandibulectomy. Conclusion: Salivary gland lithiasis recurrence was rare after minimally invasive salivary gland surgery. This study reinforced the concept that salivary gland lithiasis should be considered as a duct pathology. Level of Evidence: 4 Laryngoscope, 131:794–799, 2021 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Head and neck cancer and its treatment cause significant functional, aesthetic, and social disabilities. These disabilities have a major impact on the quality of life of patients. When irradiation is required, removable dental prostheses are often the treatment of choice. This study investigated whether removable prosthetic rehabilitation improved patient function and aesthetics over the long term., Material and Methods: In this prospective study, we assessed quality of life in 78 patients with the General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) questionnaire. Assessments were performed before, and 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after denture insertion. We evaluated whether quality of life was influenced by the type of removable prosthesis and the primary tumour location., Results: We constructed mixed-effects linear regression models to identify correlates of the overall GOHAI score (GOAHI-add score) and the three domain-scores (functional, psychosocial, and discomfort/pain) in a longitudinal analysis over a 12-month follow-up. We compared scores (GOHAI-add score and domain-scores) in multivariate analyses between baseline (T0) and four post-insertion timepoints to determine significant changes., Conclusions: We found that removable prosthetic rehabilitation had an influence on the evolution of quality of life. The psychosocial component scores increased steadily over the year and changed more significantly than the functional and discomfort-pain components. The mandibular location of the primary lesion had a negative influence on quality of life. The type of removable prosthesis did not influence the results. Key words: Quality of life, head and neck cancer, GOHAI, dental prosthesis, radiotherapy., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2022 Medicina Oral S.L.)

Background: Oral quality of life is of great importance in head and neck cancer, where each patient combines functional, social and esthetic needs. Our study aimed to evaluate the influence of prosthetic and/or maxillofacial rehabilitation on patients' perceived oral quality of life., Material and Methods: The General Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI) was used in 28 patients with head and neck cancer who had undergone radiotherapy, recruited at La Timone University Hospital, Marseille, France, and who required prosthetic rehabilitation. The questionnaire was completed at three timepoints in the study: before insertion of the prosthesis (T0), then one week (T1) and three months after insertion (T2)., Results: The percentage of patients with poor quality of oral health decreased from 96.4% to 64.3% between T0 and T1. Between T0 and T1, the mean score of the psychosocial component of the GOHAI increased from 14.28 ± 4.51 to 20.14 ± 5.20 and the mean functional component score increased from 9.32 ± 3.86 to 12.07 ± 4.04., Conclusions: Prosthetic rehabilitation appeared to have a positive impact on oral quality of life in our study subjects, particularly on social relations and self-esteem. Its influence on pain and discomfort remains to be clarified. This preliminary study gives a prospective view of the impact of prosthetic rehabilitation in patients with head and neck cancer who had undergone radiotherapy. Analysis of data yielded by cross-referencing of different questionnaires should make it possible to refine these results. Key words: GOHAI, quality of life, head and neck cancer, prosthetic rehabilitation., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest Authors report no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Medicina Oral S.L.)

Background: Although many studies focus on short-term side effects of radioiodine therapy, almost none studied long-term side effects. We assessed radioiodine long-term salivary side effects after radioiodine treatment for differentiated papillary thyroid carcinoma and compared it to short-term morbidity within the same population., Methods: A standardized self-administrated questionnaire was submitted in 2019 by patients treated with radioiodine between January 2011 and December 2012. These patients had already answered the same questionnaire 6 years before., Results: Our study showed a significant reduction for salivary side effects: discomfort in submandibular or parotid area, swelling, pain, a bad or salty taste in the mouth, allowing to get back to a "normal" diet., Conclusions: Our study suggests that a significant rate of patients will recover from I 131 therapy salivary side effects. As almost 30% of these remissions happened during our late stage follow-up, we highlight the necessity of a long-term follow-up in these patients., (© 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)