Poster Presentation Clinical Oncology Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting 2026

Effectiveness of interventions that enable head and neck cancer patients to self-manage their oral and dental health: a systematic review. (143001)

Harsha Chugh 1 , Shalinie King 1 2 3 , Thilini Jayasinghe 1 , Purnima Sundaresan 4 5 , Bradley Christian 1 2 6
  1. Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, The Sydney Dental School, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Westmead Applied Research Centre, Sydney
  3. The University of Sydney, The Westmead Centre for Oral Health Research, Sydney
  4. Western Sydney Local Health District, Radiation Oncology Network, Westmead
  5. Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney Medical School, Camperdown
  6. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University, Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health, Liverpool

Aim: To evaluate existing interventions designed to promote self-management for oral and dental health among patients treated for head and neck cancer (HNC), assess their implementation outcomes, and identify gaps to inform future clinical practice and policy development.

Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Six databases (CENTRAL, CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus and Web of Science) were searched for studies published from 2011, implementing interventions designed to prevent, manage or rehabilitate HNC-related oral health complications with a self-management focus. Two reviewers independently screened studies, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer. Risk of Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and ROBINS-I V2 for non-randomised studies. The study protocol was prospectively registered on PROSPERO (Registration ID: CRD420261335487).

Results: Of 2,884 records identified, 13 met inclusion criteria. Interventions included oral health education (n=6), oral/facial exercises (n=8) and dental treatment (n=1), delivered by clinicians or through mobile health (mHealth) approaches. Mouth-opening outcomes were most frequently reported (n=7), followed by oral health-related outcomes (n=5) and implementation outcomes (n=5).  Oral health education demonstrated the most consistent benefit, with positive outcomes in 5 out of 6 studies. Exercise-based interventions were effective in 5 of 8 studies.10 studies incorporated mHealth, of which 9 reported significant improvements in oral health outcomes. Facilitators to uptake included ongoing support, home-based delivery, mHealth, and personalised feedback. Barriers included limited digital literacy, low perceived need, and short follow-up. Most studies had a high, serious, or critical risk of bias (9/13), with only one study judged to have a low risk of bias.

Conclusions: Self-management interventions may improve oral health outcomes following HNC treatment. Future interventions should be tailored to maximise accessibility, acceptability, and integration within multidisciplinary models of survivorship care while strengthening the quality of evidence through more rigorous study designs.

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