title: Development of tools for the oral health and panoramic radiograph evaluation of head and neck cancer patients: a methodological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Describe the methodology used to construct tools for standardized data collection of head and neck cancer patients (HNCP).
  
  
  METHODS
  We constructed the Oral Health Evaluation Tool (OHET) and Panoramic Radiograph Evaluation Tool (PRET) for systematic collection of long-term oral clinical/radiographical complications, prevalence, and severity. Tools were pilot-tested in 50 chemoradiation-treated HNCP >6 months post-therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tools allowed for collection of extensive clinical and radiographical data. A medium of 1.9 years had elapsed since chemoradiation completion. Patients had a median of 6 missing teeth, 32.7% had no decay and a medium of 30% had filled surfaces; 42.9% had moderate-to-severe decay. Reduced/thickened saliva was noted in 85.4% and dry mucosa in 93.9%. Gingival bleeding was present in 75.5% HNCP and attachment loss in 86%. Four patients had trismus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Tools were user friendly and provided comprehensive, reproducible, and inexpensive means to evaluate post-therapy oral health of HNCP. Validation testing is ongoing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Leanne K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.affiliation: Oral Medicine Services, Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, City of Hope National Medical Center, California.|Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, California.
authors.forename: Joel B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Epstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Sciences and Oral Medicine, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Cesar A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Migliorati
authors.affiliation: Division of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rezk
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Sciences and Oral Medicine, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Werner H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Shintaku
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, University of Texas, Texas.
authors.forename: Marcel E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Noujeim
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Diagnosis, Piracicaba Dental School, University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alan Roger
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Santos-Silva
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Mary S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Dietrich
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee.
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Murphy
keywords: head and neck cancer; oral health evaluation; oral health outcomes; panoramic radiograph evaluation; tool development