Dentistry and palliative care: a concise systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: In recent decades, there has been a change in the age pyramid, through progressive population aging. This aging presents itself as a risk factor for several diseases, such as cancer and chronic degenerative diseases. Patients should be regularly questioned and evaluated regarding their oral health conditions. Patients in palliative care present severe functional restrictions and impairment of oral functions, which is even more common when the disease itself already affects the oral cavity, such as head and neck cancer. Objective: It was to carry out a systematic review to present the main considerations and clinical importance of palliative care in dentistry. Methods: The PRISMA Platform systematic review rules were followed. The search was carried out from January to March 2024 in the Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, and Google Scholar databases. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument and the risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results and Conclusion: Atotal of 129 articles were found, 45 articles were evaluated in full and 18 were included and developed in the present systematic review study. Considering the Cochrane tool for risk of bias, the overall assessment resulted in 12 studies with a high risk of bias and 32 studies that did not meet GRADE and AMSTAR-2. Most studies did not show homogeneity in their results, with X2=77.8%>50%. It was concluded that understanding the importance of the dentist in caring for patients with diseases that threaten the continuity of life, through relieving suffering and promoting quality of life, based on oral health. Thus, with the work of the multidisciplinary health team, the patient, their family members, and caregivers will have adequate assistance, based on the particularities of each case.