Oral cancers and the role of dentists

Cancer is one of the social health problems in Turkey. Oral and pharyngeal cancer, grouped together, is the sixth most common cancer in the world. Most of the oral cancers occur in men aged 50 years and older; however, during last 3 decades, the number of patients worldwide is being diagnosed with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma at a younger age (<45 years old) to be encountered more frequently. Main treatment options for oral and oropharyngeal cancers are surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Head and neck radiation, chemotherapy, and blood and marrow transplantation can cause oral complications ranging from dry mouth to life-threatening infections. The aim of this review is to update our knowledge on oropharyngeal cancer, to evaluate the effects of cancer therapies on oral region and to emphasize the important role of dentists in diagnosis and treatment planning of cancer