The clinical effect of radiotherapy on pulpal microvasculature: a systematic review

Introduction/objectives Radiotherapy (RT) has a detrimental effect on the histomorphology of oral tissues. Patients undergoing RT are at risk of developing macrovascular and microvascular changes, which can lead to significant clinical consequences. Despite advances in RT delivery systems, radiation injury remains a modern-day clinical problem. The aim of this systematic review is to investigate the available evidence regarding the impact of RT to the dental pulp and the clinical manifestations of these effects. Data and sources A multi-database search (PubMed, Medline, Embase and CINAHL) was performed to identify related papers published from inception until November 2021. An additional manual search was performed to identify further articles. The data extracted from relevant papers were analysed according to the outcomes selected in this review. Study selection The search generated seven articles eligible for analysis with a total of 2,709 teeth included. RT dose exposure ranged from 30-71.2 Gray with a common finding that RT decreases the number of teeth responding to pulp sensibility testing. Conclusions Knowledge related to the impact of RT on dental pulp is limited and based on weak evidence and a low-level quality of studies. Future studies should incorporate exact RT doses to the teeth and use replicable pulpal testing methods. Understanding the pulpal status post-RT remains an important consideration as dental extractions should be avoided in this cohort due to the risk of osteoradionecrosis.