Abstract
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been a longstanding treatment option for the prevention or management of ORN; however, in recent times, its efficacy has been questioned. In New Zealand, only Auckland and Christchurch have HBOT facilities, and although in Auckland HBOT is still used routinely to enable dental extractions from a highly irradiated site, anecdotal reports suggest that HBOT is not used regularly elsewhere in the country. HBOT is time-consuming, and inconvenient for patients, and can have a number of associated side-effects. Patients who have undergone treatment for head and neck cancer already have a high treatment burden involving multiple treatment modalities. These treatments can have serious
oral health related side-effects, and commonly result in a dental extraction being required post-radiotherapy
despite regular dental assessments and pre-radiotherapy dental treatment. Accordingly, the risk of osteoradionecrosis (ORN) will always be an important consideration for clinicians in this patient group. Hence, it is crucial that as a speciality, dentists find a balance between reducing the burden associated with a patient’s cancer treatment, while still mitigating against the risks of ORN development. Since the introduction of modern radiotherapy techniques, and improved implementation of dental care and prevention by hospital dental specialists, rates of ORN have reduced. Because of this, and with recent literature questioning whether HBOT is still justified, it was important to determine whether clinicians in New Zealand may be referring patients for an outdated treatment, with little benefit, which could be causing additional burden to an already vulnerable patient group. Currently, limited research has been completed on patients referred for HBOT in New Zealand. A comprehensive, retrospective audit of patients who have been referred for HBOT will add crucial information about the treatment modality itself, and the patients commonly referred for it. This will help determine if patients are being referred unnecessarily, and whether HBOT still has a place in modern ORN prevention.