Author/Authors :
Koay, Eugene J. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Wilke, Christopher T. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Zaid, Mohamed Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Chung, Caroline Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Fuller, Clifton D. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Mohamed, Abdallah S. R. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Skinner, Heath Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Phan, Jack Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Gunn, G. Brandon Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Morrison, William H. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Garden, Adam S. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Frank, Steven J. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Rosenthal, David I. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA , Chambers, Mark S. Department of Radiation Oncology - The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Houston - TX , USA
Abstract :
Oral stents have been shown to reduce the deleterious effects of head and neck radiotherapy
through the displacement of normal tissues away from the areas of high dose irradiation. While these stents are
commonly used in the treatment of patients with head and neck cancer at many large academic cancer centers,
their use is much more limited outside of these institutions due to the time and expertise required for their
fabrication.
Results: In the study, we describe a novel method to design and manufacture oral stents from routine computed
tomography (CT) imaging studies through the use of 3D printing technologies.
Conclusion: Our proposed method may help to greatly expand access to these beneficial devices for patients
undergoing radiation treatment at centers without access to dental and oral/maxillofacial specialists.
Keywords :
Radiation , 3D printing , Oral stent , Head and neck cancer
