Web-based dental care information resources for patients with head and neck cancer: a scoping review.

[PURPOSE] People with head and neck cancer (HNC) are faced with complex oral health needs. To prevent complications and promote optimal health outcomes, patient education and access to relevant information resources about oral health before and after cancer treatment is crucial. The aim of this study is to identify existing web-based information resources for people affected by HNC, relating to oral health pre-, during and post-cancer treatment.

[METHODS] A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework, adhering to the PRISMA-ScR checklist. Three pre-determined search terms "dental care" "oral health" "head and neck cancer" were searched on PubMed, Yahoo, Google, and Bing. Results from pages 1-10 were reviewed. Resources that met eligibility criteria were collated, screened, and evaluated against specified indicators. Descriptive analysis was used to determine variation between resources.

[RESULTS] Twenty-one web-based information resources were eligible and derived from five countries, USA (7), Australia (7), UK (5), Canada (1), and New Zealand (1). Most resources were published in the previous 5 years and included information pre-, during and post-cancer treatment. Sixteen resources tailored to people with HNC included information on oral health or dental care, with nine of these on the topic alone.

[CONCLUSION] A uniform approach to information resources is critical to improving oral health outcomes. This study's identification of differences between existing web-based resources prompts the need for further research, particularly into the acceptability and validity of pre-, during and post-cancer treatment dental care and oral health information for people affected by HNC.