Predicting radiation dosimetric distribution in different regions of the jaw in patients receiving radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil

Background Radiotherapy (RT), the main treatment for patients with head and neck cancer, can lead to dental complications. Methods We identified 244 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil treated with RT from 2004 to 2013. For each patient, we contoured the 10 tooth-bearing regions and calculated the radiation dose (gray, Gy) to each region. From this data set, we built two predictive models to determine the expected maximum radiation dose, one for the non-molar regions and another for the molar regions. Results For the non-molars, the final model included location, T-classification, and overall stage, with a median absolute prediction error of 7.0 Gy. For the molars, the final model included location, T-classification, overall stage, and treatment year, with a median absolute error of 6.0 Gy. Conclusions Our current model offers a good estimation of the maximum radiation dose delivered to different regions of the jaw; future work will independently validate these models.