"Cancer patients and health care professionals perceptions of the need for oral health education".

Reported studies indicated a need for oral health education for oncology patients. In a recent study it was concluded that septicaemia in immunosuppressed patients was attributed to an oral source in 25-50% of cases (Oral surg Jrnl 1992). "Increased susceptibility to infection accompanies both the cancer disease and treatment. The mouth provides a pool of opportunistic infection which may lead to life-threatening systemic infection in individuals whose immune system is already compromised by disease and/or treatment" (Griffiths and Boyle 1992).