Dental Oncology Professionals

Dental Oncology Professionals is dedicated to meeting the unique dental and oral health care needs of individuals battling various forms of cancer at all stages. We have experience treating and managing oral side effects and complications that can arise as a result of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other immunosuppresive treatments such as bone marrow transplants and stem cell transplants.

As a general dentistry practice focused on oral medicine, we also specialize in the treatment of complex oral issues in patients suffering from autoimmune diseases such as Sjögren’s Syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis as well as individuals undergoing solid tissue or organ transplants.

It is important to see us as soon after diagnosis as possible. There is much we can do to prevent significant oral pain and infection by seeing you before treatment begins. Even if you have already started receiving care, we can manage your oral health and dental needs throughout your treatment and beyond.

Now is the time to plan your consultation.

Featured Events

There is a movement that is quietly taking place in health care. The revolutionary concept is known as personalized or individualized health care. It is important to realize how this trend is affecting you. Check it out...

If you are a doctor or hygienist, learn how you can and why you should be part of a comprehensive cancer care team for cancer patients at the American Academy of Dental Oncology Fall 2015 Seminar. Check it out...

Dr. Abbott's latest articles covers the emerging technology that dental professionals can use in their practice to develop a year-round oral cancer screening program.
Check it out...

What Is Dental Oncology?

Dental Oncology is a focus of dentistry dedicated to meeting the unique dental and oral health care needs that arise as a result of cancer therapy. It is devoted to improving the well-being and quality of life of people battling cancer. Dental oncology goes beyond the scope of general dental treatment to include management of the soft tissues of the mouth and care for oral side effects specific to cancer therapy. It also emphasizes oral cancer prevention and early detection.Dental Oncology Professionals of North Texas works as part of your oncology team to provide pre-treatment oral assessments and supportive oral care before, during, and after your cancer therapy.

Did You Know…?

Oral cancer is not a rare disease. Approximately 37,000 people are diagnosed with oral cancer every year in the United States. It kills one person every hour of every day and 100 new cases are identified each day. The good news is that oral cancer can be found early in its development.

There are two distinct pathways by which most people come to oral cancer. One is through the use of tobacco and alcohol, a long term historic problem and cause; and the other is through exposure to the HPV-16 virus (human papilloma virus 16), a newly identified etiology. This is the same virus that is responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancers in women. The most rapidly growing population affected by oral cancer is young, healthy, male and female non-smokers who have been exposed to the HPV-16 virus.

Patient Services

Pre-therapy assessments and oral health plan
Prevention & treatment of mouth and throat sores
Prevention and treatment of dry mouth and reduced salivary flow
Management of oral and head and neck pain
Restorative and therapeutic dentistry

Dental hygiene instruction
Management of taste alteration and/or taste loss
Oral cancer screening and early detection, diagnosis and plan
Smoking Cessation
Regular consultation with other members of your oncology team

Should I see a Dental Oncologist?

If you answer YES to any of the following questions, you owe it to yourself to have an experienced dental oncologist on your cancer care team.

Click on the question to learn more.

Will your cancer treatment involve chemotherapy?

For most chemotherapeutic drugs, severe dry mouth is a major side effect. Untreated dry mouth can lead to rapid decaying of the teeth and increase the risk for oral infections. Dry mouth also affects chewing and swallowing.

Will your cancer treatment involve radiation therapy to your head or neck?

Head and neck radiation therapy affects the bone that supports the teeth. Dental work should be completed and dental clearance given before the commencement of radiation therapy. Salivary glands are often included in the field of radiation and extreme dry mouth may result. Oral ulcers are common when radiation is administered to the head and neck. The patient undergoing head and neck radiation must make oral hygiene a top priority for his or her lifetime.

Will your cancer treatment include a class of drugs known as bisphosphonates?

Bisphosphonates may be included as part of the drug regimen for patients with bone metastases. These drugs affect the jaws causing some concern for certain dental procedures. The risk for complications could last a lifetime, but may be well-managed with proper dental care from an experienced dental oncologist.

Has it been more than one year since your last dental cleaning?

Dental plaque contains bacteria. Most cancer treatments lower the immune system’s ability to combat microorganisms. A bacterial load that would be well-controlled under normal circumstances may easily turn into an infection requiring hospitalization. A significant number of bacteremia (bacteria in the blood) cases during cancer therapy are believed to be of an oral origin.

Do you want an oral health care provider for any oral issues throughout your treatment?

Oral pain can affect eating which ultimately influences proper nutrition. Mouth sores are painful and can become so debilitating that scheduled cancer therapy may be placed on hold until the ulcers are resolved. Delaying cancer treatment may affect a successful outcome. Other oral issues like yeast infections and viral outbreaks are common with some cancer treatments. Having an experienced dental oncologist on your teams means you have someone on your side to help you through any oral complication that may arise during your cancer journey.

Learn more at WhatIsDryMouth.com

Dr. Abbott

dr-dennis-abbott-portrait

Dennis M. Abbott, D.D.S. is the founder and CEO of Dental Oncology Professionals (DOP), an oral medicine practice dedicated to care for the unique dental and oral health needs of individuals battling cancer. Inasmuch as the oral side effects of modern oncology therapies can cause intraoral sores, pain, and infections that can significantly reduce quality of life, DOP is committed to helping patients manage and overcome such obstacles so that cancer treatments can be continued according to schedule, proper nutrition maintained, and a high quality of life enjoyed before, during, and after cancer therapy.

Dr. Abbott holds a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Rice University in Houston, and is an honor graduate of Baylor College of Dentistry. After dental school, Dr. Abbott studied immunology, microbiology, and oral medicine at the School of Dental Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo. In addition to private practice, he is a member of the dental oncology medical staff at Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center and Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. Dr. Abbott also serves as a consultant to the national American Cancer Society in the development of oral monitoring guidelines for post-treatment cancer survivors.

Dr. Abbott has most recently conducted studies focusing on bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw and xerostomia in patients with cancer. He is the previous recipient of the Dentist Scientist Award and the National Research Service Award, both granted by the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Abbott is a guest author for many national dental publications on the subject of dental oncology and is a sought-after lecturer by various international companies on the topics of dental oncology, oral cancer, the role of oral health in systemic wellness, and antioxidants and oxidative stress in the oral health care of patients with cancer.

See Dr. Abbott’s Speaking Engagements

Media

Dental Oncology Professionals of North Texas in the news and making it, too.

Click on the titles to read more.

Advances in Care

Compendium Magazine
November/December 2013

Article by Dr. Dennis Abbott

Now is the time to plan your consultation.

Featured Events

What Is Dental Oncology?

Did You Know…?

Patient Services

Should I see a Dental Oncologist?

Dr. Abbott

See Dr. Abbott’s Speaking Engagements

Media

Contact Us

On The Web:

DDS Store

PerioSciences has developed the market’s first oral care line of products based on the power of antioxidants. There is a new era beginning in oral care and PerioSciences is leading the way.