Customized 3D Printed Oral Stents During Head and Neck Radiotherapy

April 10, 2026 updated by: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

A Randomized Study of Head and Neck Radiotherapy With or Without Customized 3D Printed Oral Stents

This clinical trial studies the effect of customized 3 dimensional (3D) printed oral tents on patients with head and neck cancer who are receiving radiotherapy. Oral stents are made from the impression of patients' mouth and cover patients' teeth and gums during radiation therapy. A customized, 3D-printed oral stent may help to reduce mouth blisters and/or sores that may develop in patients while receiving head and neck radiation therapy.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To evaluate the acute mucositis rates in non-target mucosa of patients who receive head and neck radiation with or without a customized 3D printed oral stent.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To record patient reported outcomes during radiotherapy. II. To evaluate patient narcotic use during radiotherapy. III. To evaluate the imaging and dosimetric differences in head and neck radiotherapy with and without a customized 3D printed oral stent.

OUTLINE: Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 arms.

ARM I: Patients wear 3D printed oral stent during standard of care radiotherapy.

ARM II: Patients receive standard of care during treatment.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
119

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Arizona
      • Phoenix, Arizona, United States, 85234
        • Recruiting
        • Banner Health/Banner Research
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Gary V. Walker, MD
    • Florida
      • Jacksonville, Florida, United States, 32207
        • Recruiting
        • Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Mark E. Augspurger, MD
    • Indiana
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46219
        • Recruiting
        • Community MD Anderson Cancer Center East
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Alexander Augustyn, MD
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46227
        • Recruiting
        • Community MD Anderson Cancer Center South
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Alexander Augustyn, MD
        • Contact:
      • Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, 46250
        • Recruiting
        • Community MD Anderson Cancer Center North
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Alexander Augustyn, MD
        • Contact:
    • New Jersey
      • Camden, New Jersey, United States, 08103
        • Recruiting
        • Cooper Hospital University Medical Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Megan Mezera, MD
    • Texas
      • Houston, Texas, United States, 77030
        • Recruiting
        • M D Anderson Cancer Center
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Ann Lee, MD

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Participant is dispositioned to receive 5-7 weeks of definitive or adjuvant radiotherapy for treatment of a diagnosed head and neck malignancy
  • Age 18 or older
  • ECOG PS 0-2
  • The participant will receive either (a) radiation alone or (b) radiation with concurrent chemotherapy of any kind(s)
  • Signed study-specific consent form

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Prior head and neck radiotherapy
  • Participants is unable to fit a tongue-lateralizing or tongue-depressing stent
  • Severe trismus with an incisal opening of <10 mm
  • Inability to comply with the study procedures
  • Participants younger than 18 years of age
  • Participants must not be pregnant
  • Cognitively impaired subjects

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Arm I (3D printed oral stent)
Patients wear 3D printed oral stent during standard of care radiotherapy.
Other: Best Practice
Receive standard of care
Other Names:
  • standard of care
  • standard therapy
Other: Medical Device Usage and Evaluation
Wear 3D printed oral stent
Active Comparator: Arm II (standard of care)
Patients receive standard of care during treatment.
Other: Best Practice
Receive standard of care
Other Names:
  • standard of care
  • standard therapy
Other: Medical Device Usage and Evaluation
Wear 3D printed oral stent

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Mucositis toxicity rates
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Rate of non-target mucose will be estimated along with the corresponding 95% confidence interval. Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CHM) test will be applied to compare mucositis rates between the two treatment arms. Logistic regression will be used to compare occurrence of mucositis between two arms, adjusting for the effects of stratification factors as well as other covariates. T test or Wilcoxon rank sum test will be used to compare three Olerud-Molander Ankle Score between two arms: a mean mucositis score, an extent of mucositis score, and a worst site score.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Patient reported outcomes
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Will be assessed using the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Head and Neck questionnaire. T test or Wilcoxon rank sum test will be used to compare scores of each item per time point or sums of scores across all items at each time point or sums across three time point per item between the two arms. Multivariate analyses such as linear regression model adjusting for the effects of covariates might be performed to compare patients reported outcomes. Appropriate data transformation will be performed if necessary for assumption of normality.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Patients narcotics diaries
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Will record the worst, the least, the average pain score and pain score at present for each day. Will calculate the average of these 4 scores as a composite daily pain score.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Imaging difference
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The set up error during radiation will be measured in each treatment arm.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Dosimetric difference
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
The radiation dose to healthy tissue will be measured in each treatment arm.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Composite pain scores
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
An area under curve of pain scores over two weeks (AUC2wks) will be calculated for each patient, and the t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test will be used to compare the AUC2wks of pain scores between the two arms, and between patients with and without occurrence of mucositis in their non-target mucosa. Will also fit linear mixed models including patients as random effects to compare the composite pain scores over two weeks between treatment arms. The linear mixed models will also be fitted to evaluate the association of composite pain scores with occurrence of their non-target mucosa.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year
Number of narcotic pills used
Time Frame: Through study completion, an average of 1 year
An AUC2wks will be calculated for each patient, and the t test or Wilcoxon rank sum test will be used to compare the AUC2wks of pain scores between the two arms, and between patients with and without occurrence of mucositis in their non-target mucosa. Will also fit linear mixed models including patients as random effects to compare the composite pain scores over two weeks between treatment arms.
Through study completion, an average of 1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Anna Lee, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
May 26, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
April 23, 2021

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 30, 2021

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
May 3, 2021

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 15, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 10, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 2020-1153 (M D Anderson Cancer Center)
  • NCI-2021-03221 (Registry Identifier: CTRP (Clinical Trial Reporting Program))

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

Yes

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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