Background Patients with head and neck cancer who are receiving radiotherapy can develop aspiration pneumonia. Determination of the incidence of aspiration pneumonia and the associated risk factors could facilitate the identification of high‐risk patients. Methods In this retrospective study, we determined the incidence of aspiration pneumonia in 357 patients receiving radiotherapy along with oral care for head and neck cancer. We also performed univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses to investigate the risk factors for this complication. Results The incidence of aspiration pneumonia was 17.6%. Hypopharyngeal cancer, grade 3 oral mucositis, and nasogastric tube feeding were independent risk factors. Moreover, the development of aspiration pneumonia was one of the major effects on the discontinuation of radiotherapy. Conclusion Approximately, one‐sixth of the patients developed aspiration pneumonia despite appropriate oral care during radiotherapy for head and neck cancer. Aspiration pneumonia during radiotherapy could adversely affect head and neck cancer management.

Macroscopic observations suggest that melamine foam would be effective for the removal of stains on composite resin artificial teeth. Traces of wear were not observed in specimens treated with melamine foam and the denture dentifrice not containing abrasives. It was suggested that these two materials would be desirable and useful to use for composite resin tooth cleaning.

Purpose Oral mucositis (OM) is a side effect associated with cancer treatment. Hangeshashinto (HST), a Kampo medicine, was originally prescribed to treat diarrhea, gastritis, and stomatitis. Several reports have described the effects of HST for OM induced by chemotherapy in patients with gastric or colorectal cancer. In this study, the effects of HST for prevention of OM were investigated in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods Thirty patients scheduled to receive allogeneic grafts were enrolled from July 2020 to December 2021. They were randomly assigned to two groups and instructed to wash their mouth with or without HST three times a day. The observation period was from the initiation date of conditioning regimen to the date of engraftment, and the end point was the incidence of OM. Results Eighteen patients developed OM, the most severe of which was Grade (G)3. There was no significantly difference in the incidence of OM between the HST group and the control group. However, a negative correlation tended to be observed between the duration using HST use and the duration of OM (G2–3: P = 0.027, G3: P = 0.047). Conclusions The present study demonstrated that HST use did not clearly inhibit onset of OM but showed a tendency to inhibit OM exacerbation. However, further studies are necessary to fully understand the effects of HST on OM in patients undergoing HSCT. Trial registration This study was registered in the Japan Registry of Clinical Trials on 7 May 2020 (jRCTs071200012).

Patient:A 65-year-old female presented to us with discomfort in the mucosa of the cheek. Based on biopsy results, the condition was diagnosed as lichen planus by our hospital dental surgery staff. The patient was referred to our department for treatment because of suspicion of metal allergy. The symptoms improved following a metal-free restoration. Conclusion:The cause of lichen planus in this case was thought dental metal allergy, which was relieved by a metal-free restoration. Key wordsdental metal allergy, metal-free restoration, lichen planus