More than 1 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer in the upcoming year, and a large percentage will develop serious oral complications as the result of their treatment.

Although cancer therapies such as radiation, chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation have become more powerful and therapeutically successful over the past 10 years, these cancer-fighting treatments affect healthy tissues as well. The mouth is a frequent site of acute and chronic side effects, which can diminish quality of life for cancer patients and negatively affect treatment.

"Oral complications are often cited as the cause of the interruption and premature termination of treatment regimens for cancer patients," says Spencer Redding, DDS, MD. "Therefore, the oral complications of cancer therapy have the potential to adversely affect treatment outcomes, cancer prognosis and quality of life for millions of patients."

Oral complications include salivary gland dysfunction, which leads to dry mouth; rampant dental decay and mouth sores that are painful, diminish the quality of life and can lead to significant compliance problems. According to figures from the National Cancer Institute, oral complications occur in almost all patients receiving radiation for head and neck malignancies, in more than 75 percent of bone marrow transplant recipients and in nearly 40 percent of patients receiving chemotherapy.

According to studies, pretreatment therapy for oral complications can positively affect the outcomes of cancer treatment.

•  Contact your general dentist
•  Schedule an oral examination one month before initiation of cancer therapy
•  Treat all pre-existing oral disease