I assume your brother had a dental exam beforehand by someone who knows about oral radiation and they determined that his teeth were in to poor condition to withstand the treatment. You may want to talk to him or his care-givers for more of the story.

However, having said that, you also should be aware that the standard procedure in the past was to remove teeth but that many of the top CCCs are being far more conservative about this. One reason is that with an IMRT radiation plan they may be able to avoid radiating much of the tooth-containing part of the jaw. As my husband's Hopkins dental oncologist said, "we remove no tooth without due process" -- and my husband had a mouth full of crowns, fillings and had had periodontal disease in the past (now under control) -- they examined his dental xrays as well as his teeth and gums, and pronounced him "good to go."

His exam by the dental onc last month found everything still in good shape but he does use his fluoride trays daily and has a cleaning every 3 months, plus meticulous daily oral hygiene.

By the way, a patient can legally refuse any treatment and there are some on this list who refused having their teeth pulled (having been advised to do so) and have said they've had no problems post-treatment.

Gail