Photobiomodulation & Cancer: Safety Concerns and Proficiency - an Evidence Based Approach

Oral medicine employing the 940 nm diode laser is a rapidly developing field in daily clinical care. Cancer is experienced by around 50% of the population and affects all of our lives. This webinar explores the safety as well as the clinical dental aspects of an emergent highly important future role for the entire dental team.

Cancer touches all of our lives and the standard of care may require surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Common side effects of intensive cancer therapies include oral pain and inflammation as well as a protracted period of convalescence. Regrettably some cancer patients experience permanent debility due to drug induced peripheral neuropathy, xerostomia, trismus and progressive fibrosis amongst other common complications.

Laser surgery is recognised as being associated with excellent quality healing. Also, photobiomodulation (PBM) as a stand-alone measure offers immense benefits to mitigate pain and direct healing away from inflammatory pathways towards wound resolution up to and including regeneration. Lasers and other light sources have been found to be highly beneficial in the prevention of chemo-/radiotherapy induced oral mucositis and represent a World standard of care. There are however logistical difficulties within secondary care centres to offer this highly effective prophylactic treatment modality. Complications of post cancer care are common and difficult and costly to manage. There is great International research interest to extend the range of phototherapies available to patients including for other common post oncology therapy oral and peri-oral complications.

As PBM is able to improve cellular viability as well as stimulate mitosis, is PBM safe to use in cancer patients? Also is it appropriate for a general dentist to attempt to treat some of the common oral complications of cancer treatments? What is the current evidence base supporting this type of approach to care? What recommendations can be made (if any) in respect of patient management?

In our dialogues with patients as well as the wider professional medical community we must be well informed and able to answer the many questions and issues that may be posed. This webinar is an introduction to the subject and as the science and evidence base further grows the general dentist and the clinical team in future will almost certainly have a very important additional role to fulfil.

Suitably well-equipped and trained dentists, hygiene therapists and associated oral care professionals are very well placed within our local communities to offer adjunctive support to our medical oncology colleagues. Also, within our own families and friends as well as directly to our own patients there is the very real prospect we will be enabled to offer assistance to relieve the suffering associated  with some of the common oral complications of cancer treatments.

Illustrated with clinical case examples of patients successfully treated with the Epic X 940 nm diode, this webinar offers a fascinating insight into a rapidly evolving area.