King's College London

Patients due to commence head and neck radiation treatment are expected to undergo a dental assessment and be deemed ‘dentally fit’. Though this intervention is welcomed by the dental fraternity it is not without its challenges especially in human papilloma virus (HPV) related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) which has seen a phenomenal rise over the past decade. This perspective piece presents these challenges and proposes a potential adaption of the dental assessment for HPV OPC patients though not necessarily exclusive to this tumour sub-site.