Dental Costs Burden Many Patients With Head and Neck Cancer

TOPLINE:

A recent survey found that most patients with head and neck cancer required extensive dental treatment, leading to financial hardship and high out-of-pocket costs in 39% of the participants. 

METHODOLOGY:

• Patients with head and neck cancer often experience severe oral complications from cancer treatment, necessitating substantial dental care that is typically not covered by medical insurance. These dental complications may place considerable financial strain on patients.
• To better understand the extent of this burden, researchers conducted a survey to assess oral and dental complications, dental care usage, and associated costs in patients with head and neck cancer.
• Overall, 85 participants, who were members of the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, completed a 2src-item survey between March 23 and October 27, 2src23, and were included in the analysis.
• The survey had questions on the cancer site, treatment modality, dental visits before and after cancer therapy, current oral health, and financial hardship attributed to dental care post cancer therapy.

TAKEAWAY:

• Overall, 69% of patients (59 of 85) reported that their oral health worsened post treatment for head and neck cancer, and 86% (73 of 85) experienced oral or dental complications from their cancer treatment — including dry mouth, caries, and oral mucositis — with 88% (64 of 73 patients) requiring follow-up dental treatment.
• Overall, 33 of 85 patients (39%) reported financial hardship due to post-cancer treatment dental care and an equal number reported out-of-pocket dental care costs of at least $5srcsrcsrc.
• Among the 64 patients requiring follow-up dental treatment, recommendations included tooth extraction (45%), root canal (36%), fillings (38%), and implants (2src%). Among the 53 patients who did not receive all recommended dental care, 17 (32%) cited finances or cost of treatment as the reason.
• Financial hardship was less likely among those with higher educational attainment (odds ratio [OR], src.2src), higher income (OR, src.33), and higher pre-cancer dental visit frequency (OR, src.3src).

IN PRACTICE:

“In this survey study, most patients undergoing treatment for head and neck had extensive dental needs throughout cancer care” that posed “a financial burden for 39% of patients,” the authors wrote. “Since most private medical insurers do not reimburse for dental treatment, more comprehensive coverage policy deserves attention,” they concluded. 

SOURCE:

The study, led by Betty Ben Dor, Department of Oral Medicine, Infection and Immunity, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, was published online on August 1, 2src24, in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited to members of Head and Neck Cancer Alliance, which may not represent all patients with head and neck cancer. Self-reported data might introduce bias. Given the small sample size and wide 95% CIs in some cases, these results might not be very robust.

DISCLOSURES:

The authors did not disclose any funding information. Two authors reported receiving grants and personal fees from various sources outside the submitted work. 

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.