To Extract or Not to Extract in Post-irradiated Oral and Oropharyngeal Cancer Patients in the era of Pentoxifylline and Tocopherol
An ACDE Series Webinar

Course Description:

Approximately 50,000 individuals are newly diagnosed with oral and pharyngeal cancer every year in the United States. Most patients are diagnosed at a later stage thereby warranting the use of radiotherapy either as neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Even with advance radiation delivery techniques such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy and intensity-modulated proton therapy, oral complications such as xerostomia, caries, trismus, and osteoradionecrosis (ORN) still exist. Post-radiation patients to the oral and oropharynx cavity are prone to developing rampant dental caries that may result in dental extractions.

ORN is the most morbid oral complication of radiotherapy that may be managed with segmental jaw resection and reconstruction with bone flap/graft. The risk of osteoradionecrosis post-extraction in an irradiated oral/pharynx cavity is for life. Prevention of ORN in these patients is crucial. This lecture will focus on the use of pentoxifylline-tocopherol in preventing ORN in post-radiation patients that require dental extractions.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the etiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, and management of ORN.
2. Understand the pharmacologic properties of pentoxifylline and tocopherol.
3. Prophylactic use of pentoxifylline and tocopherol for preventing ORN in post-irradiated patient requiring dental extractions.

Meet the Speaker: Dr. Adepitan A. Owosho

Dr. Owosho obtained is dental degree from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria after which he practiced dentistry for 2 years. He completed a 3-year residency training in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Subsequently, he completed a 2-year Oral/Dental Oncology clinical research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. After his fellowship training he joined the faculty of the College of Dental Medicine, University of New England, Maine as an Assistant Clinical Professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology and oral medicine. In 2019, he joined the Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral Health, A.T. Still University as an Associate Professor and Director of Integrated Human Sciences. In August 2022, Dr. Owosho joined The University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center, College of Dentistry, Department of Diagnostic Sciences as an Associate Professor.

Dr. Owosho’s clinical and research interest lies in the prevention and management of oral complications in oncology patients, immunophenotypic and molecular studies of odontogenic tumors, and bone and soft tissue tumors. He has co-authored several manuscripts on these topics in reputable peer-reviewed journals of Pathology and Dentistry and was the recipient of the 2018 H. Dean Millard award for the best publication in the oral medicine Section of Elsevier’s Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology Journal by the American Academy of Oral Medicine. Dr. Owosho serves on the academic fellowship committee as a fellowship examiner for the American Academy of Oral Medicine.

WEBINAR CANCELLATION POLICY: Full refunds will be issued to registrants who cancel their registration no later than 48 hours before the course starting date/time. A 50% refund will be issued to registrants who cancel 48-24 hours before the course starting date/time. No refunds will be issued for registrants who does not login to the webinar or who cancels within 24 hours of the course starting date/time. Participants may phone the Continuing Education office to cancel, but a written request which includes the name and phone number of the person who paid for the course must be received by our office before a refund can be processed. This request can be emailed to ce@dental.ufl.edu.