TITLE:
Frequency and Evolution of Acute Oral Complications in Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Radiotherapy
AUTHORS:
Salma Adnane, Elyas Saber, Sofia Haitami
KEYWORDS:
Head and Neck Cancer, Radiotherapy, Acute Oral Complications, Quality of Life
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.13 No.7,
July
21,
2026
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Head and neck radiotherapy, although curative, is associated with significant toxicity affecting the oral cavity. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence, severity, and weekly progression of acute oral complications in a Moroccan cohort. Materials and Methods: A prospective longitudinal observational study was conducted between June and December 2021. Twenty-one patients receiving a cumulative radiation dose of ≥ 60 Gy were followed on a weekly basis. Oral complications were assessed using the World Health Organization (WHO) scale for mucositis, the Seminars in Radiation Oncology (SRO) criteria for xerostomia, and the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 (CTCAE v5.0) for dysphagia, dysgeusia, and trismus. Results: By the third week of treatment, 100% of patients had developed mucositis, xerostomia, and dysphagia. Severe complications (Grade 3/4) became predominant by the sixth week, with mucositis observed in 71.5% of patients, xerostomia in 47.6%, and dysphagia in 61.9%. Trismus affected 52.4% of the study population. Temporary interruption of radiotherapy due to treatment-related toxicity occurred in 28.5% of patients. Conclusion: Acute oral complications appeared earlier and were more severe than those reported in international studies. This finding may be attributed to the absence of systematic pre-treatment dental management and preventive care protocols.