Poster Presentation 2025 Joint Meeting of the COSA ASM and IPOS Congress

Exploration of web-based dental care information resources for patients with head and neck cancer: a scoping review (124860)

Ashleigh R Sharman 1 2 , Hannah Chilcott 2 , Timothy Manzie 1 , Rachael H Dodd 2 3 4
  1. Head and Neck Surgery, Chris O'Brien Lifehouse, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, Australia
  3. The Daffodil Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Sydney Health Literacy Lab, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Objectives

People with head and neck cancer (HNC) are faced with complex oral health needs. To prevent complications and promote optimal health outcomes, patient education and access to relevant information resources about dental care before and after cancer treatment is crucial. The aim of this study is to identify existing information resources for people affected by HNC, relating to dental care pre- and post-cancer treatment.

Sample and Setting

A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework and adhering to the PRISMA-ScR checklist.

Procedures

Three pre-determined search terms including keywords “dental care”, “oral health”, “head and neck cancer” were searched on PubMed, Yahoo, Google, Bing. Results from pages 1-10 were reviewed. Resources that met eligibility criteria were collated, screened, and evaluated against specified indicators. Descriptive analysis was used to determine variations between resources.

Results

Twenty-one online information resources were eligible and derived from five countries, predominantly USA (7), Australia (7) and UK (5). The majority of resources were published in the previous five years. Nine resources were tailored to people with HNC on the topic of oral or dental care and included information about dental care pre, during and post cancer treatment.  Recommendations to consult both a doctor and dentist were evident in all but one resource. None of the resources discussed cost and only one suggested speaking to a health insurance company.

Conclusion and clinical impact

Oral health and dental care is crucial for people diagnosed with HNC and a consistent approach to education resources is critical to improving health outcomes, especially where information is frequently sought online. Variation between existing online resources, and lack of information regarding dental costs and insurance, prompts the need for further research, particularly into the acceptability and validity of pre- and post-cancer treatment dental care information for people affected by HNC.