A 65-Year-Old Man with Recent History of Radiation Therapy to the Head and Neck Reporting for Treatment of a Non-restorable Tooth.

Patients with a history of head and neck radiation involving or adjacent to tooth-bearing areas are at increased risk of developing osteonecrosis following dental procedures. The dental provider should thus aim to preserve the patient's dentition after radiation therapy. Root canal therapy with coronectomy may be an option for a nonrestorable tooth, whereas atraumatic extraction can be considered if retaining the tooth is impossible. When treating a patient with a history of head and neck radiation, it is recommended that the dental provider reviews the patient's radiation records and consults with the patient's radiation oncologist to better stratify treatment risks.