Dental Safety Profile of High-Dose Radioiodine Therapy

The Dental Safety Profile of High-Dose Radioiodine Therapy for Thyroid Cancer

We aim to assess the incidence of oral and dental adverse events after high-dose radioiodine therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer.

Sialadenitis and xerostomia are the most frequent adverse events of high-dose radioiodine therapy. Saliva has vital functions in maintaining periodontal and oral health. Therefore, xerostomia not only impairs quality of life permanently, but may also increase the risk of caries and tooth extractions. Nevertheless, despite more than 6 decades of radioiodine therapy for thyroid cancer, large studies on long-term oral adverse events are still lacking. In the present study, we investigate the influence of high-dose radioiodine therapy on the long-term oral health.

Inclusion Criteria:

• histologically confirmed differentiated thyroid cancer
• status after total thyroidectomy
• status after subsequent high-dose radioiodine treatment
• regular follow-up by a board-certified dentist
• a minimum follow-up of 1 year after radioiodine therapy.

Exclusion Criteria:

• anaplastic thyroid cancer