Chemotherapy Blunted Response to Supragingival Scaling in Breast Cancer Patients

Posted: September 17, 2026

Chemotherapy Blunted Response to Supragingival Scaling in Breast Cancer Patients

Edited by Hygienetown staff

Women undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer improved less after supragingival scaling than women without cancer, according to a quasi-experimental clinical trial published online Sept. 9 in the International Journal of Dental Hygiene.

Investigators followed 20 patients who had breast cancer and gingivitis alongside 20 patients who had gingivitis and no cancer. Plaque index, bleeding on probing, probing depth, clinical attachment level, complete blood counts, and salivary flow were recorded at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 weeks.

Both groups improved after scaling, with reductions in bleeding on probing and plaque index. The separation emerged over time: the group without cancer showed significantly greater reductions at 12 and 24 weeks, at P less than .05.

Blood counts split along the same line. Hemoglobin and red blood cell levels were higher in the group without cancer at all three follow-up points.

Salivary flow declined in the cancer group at 6, 12, and 24 weeks, falling below 0.3 mL per minute. It did not reach the threshold the authors set for hyposalivation, which was below 0.1 mL per minute.

Kelly R.V. Villafuerte and Daniela B. Palioto of the School of Dentistry of Ribeirão Preto at the University of São Paulo conducted the study with colleagues in the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at the university’s Faculty of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto and at Universidad César Vallejo in Lima, Peru.

The authors concluded that chemotherapy makes periodontal inflammation harder to control and called for supragingival scaling with strict biofilm control in breast cancer patients. The trial was quasi-experimental rather than randomized, with 20 patients per group, so the finding describes two nonrandomized groups followed in parallel rather than a randomized comparison.

Sources:
International Journal of Dental Hygiene, “Integrating Supragingival Scaling and Biofilm Management Into Breast Cancer Patients’ Care,” published online Sept. 9, 2026:
doi.org/10.1111/idh.70156
PubMed record, PMID 42717305:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42717305


Chemotherapy Blunted Response to Supragingival Scaling in Breast Cancer Patients

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