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(1) Background: The general hypothesis that HNC patients show compromised oral health (OH) is generally accepted, but it is not evidence-based. The objective of this baseline report of a prospective observational study was to describe the oral health of a cohort of patients with HNC at the time of dental evaluation prior to radiotherapy (RT). (2) Materials and Methods: Two hundred and thirteen patients affected by HNC who had received an indication for RT were examined with the support of orthopantomography (OPT). The DMFt of all included subjects, their periodontal status and the grade of mouth opening were recorded. (3) Results: A total of 195 patients were ultimately included: 146/195 patients (74.9%) showed poor OH (defined as having a DMFt score ≥ 13 and severe periodontitis). The following clinical characteristics were correlated with poor oral health in the univariate analysis: tumor site, smoking habit and age of the patients (in decades); χ2 test, p < 0.05. (4) Conclusions: This study confirms that the OH of HNC patients is often compromised even before the beginning of cancer treatment and, consequently, highlights how important it is to promptly schedule a dental evaluation at the moment of diagnosis of the cancer.

Introduction: Radiotherapy-Induced Xerostomia (RIX) is one of the most common adverse effects of Radiotherapy (RT) in the Head and Neck Cancer patients (HNC), and a major determinant of survivors' quality of life. The primary objective was to evaluate the reduction of patients’ xerostomia symptoms after the utilization of a sodium-hyaluronate mouthwash compared to a placebo solution. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the improvement of quality of life, and to evaluate the patients’ satisfaction. Methods: The protocol was approved by the ethical committee (Ref. 50053/19) and registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT05103124). The study was a double-blind randomized clinical trial (RCT) with a crossover design and was conducted the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli, Rome Results: Thirty-two patients completed the study protocol. Lower values of the modified Xerostomia Questionnaire (XQ) were retrieved when comparing the baseline scores to the ones after treatment, when compared with placebo (Mann-Whitney U test = 0.01); higher values of patients’ satisfaction (Likert Scale) and modified XQ were retrieved for the sodium-hyaluronate mouthwash (Mann-Whitney U test = 0.001). Conclusions: This RCT highlight the advantages of treating RIX with the sodium-hyaluronate mouthwash, since it seems to be clinically effective in reducing its symptoms, without any reported adverse events.