Impact of intraoral stent on the side effects of radiotherapy for oral cancer

Abstract Background The intraoral stent is a mouth‐opening device which may be used during head and neck cancer radiotherapy with the intention of preventing unnecessary irradiation in normal adjacent tissue. The use of this device during intensity‐modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) has not been reported in the literature. Methods A 30‐year‐old woman with squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue was submitted to a CT for IMRT treatment planning with and without the use of the intraoral stent. Results Dosimetric analysis showed that the irradiation dose to the maxilla, both parotid glands, and left submandibular gland decreased with the use of this device. Conclusion This article shows that intraoral stents seem to be useful in decreasing the radiation dose to healthy structures, especially in bone structures and salivary glands during radiotherapy, and emphasizes the importance of a multidisciplinary team during oncological therapy. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2013