Beyond the Brush: Navigating Dental Care in Head & Neck Cancer

While advancements in oral medicine are improving the treatment landscape for head and neck cancer, routine dental care and preventative oral cancer screenings can help identify head and neck cancers early. In this episode, Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH, chief of Oral Medicine, Oral Oncology, and Dentistry at Baptist Health South Florida’s Miami Cancer Institute, emphasizes the proactive role dentists can play in early identification of cancer—as well as the need for equitable access to dental care—and explores how a cross-disciplinary cancer care team and patient education work in tandem to better manage complications from head and neck treatment.

“It is widely known that any patient with a diagnosis of head and neck cancer who is scheduled to receive treatment with chemo and radiation therapy should see a dentist prior to starting cancer therapy. We should make sure that access is available for this patient.” —Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH

Alessandro Villa, DDS, PhD, MPH

Chief of Oral Medicine, Oral Oncology, and Dentistry

Miami Cancer Institute, Baptist Health South Florida

Miami, FL

This episode was made in connection with the ACCC education program Multidisciplinary Approaches to Head & Neck Cancer Care in partnership with Head and Neck Cancer Alliance and the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and with support provided by EMD Serono. 

Resources:   

Multidisciplinary Approaches to Head & Neck Cancer Care 

Head and Neck Patient and Caregiver Resources 

Making the Case for Head & Neck Cancer Patient Care Navigators