BACKGROUND Mobile phone-enabled, multimodal self-management and educational interventions may help to create a foundation for future mHealth research in improving outcomes for patients taking oral anti-cancer medications. No previous study has investigated whether the intervention of mobile health applications affects the daily needs and quality of life in patients who have received oral cancer surgery. OBJECTIVE This study aims to evaluate changes in care needs and quality of life in patients with oral cancer after intervention of a mobile health application (APP). METHODS Patients with postoperative oral cancer were divided into experimental (mobile health application) and control (routine healthcare and instruction). RESULTS After 3 months of education/information intervention via APP or routine healthcare and instruction, the physiological care needs decreased significantly in the experimental group compared with the control group (p<0.05). Experimental group scores for use intentions, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use represented also significant increases in each after APP intervention (p<0.05). However, psychological care needs and the overall scores for quality of life were increased, but without statistical significance (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS In conclusions, these findings may constitute an empirical basis for postoperative care delivered by healthcare practitioners and suggest that mobile health applications can be incorporated easily into routine care of oral cancer patients to provide medical information conveniently and improve patients’ self-management to reduce physiological care needs.