Oral Care and Palliative Dentistry at Home in Postoperative Oral Cancer to Improve Quality of Life - A Review

Abstract

Oral health is vital for overall health. Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) causes significant mortality and morbidity. The treatment options for OSCCs include a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy depending on the final histopathological results. Even with advanced reconstructive techniques, the cosmetic deformity is marked, especially if the lateral commissure of the lips has to be sacrificed, thus compromising on the Oral health related Quality of Life (OHRQOL). Palliative care dentistry is the management of patients with active, progressive, advanced disease in whom the oral cavity has been compromised by the primary disease or by its treatment. This review was based on the purpose to study the Oral Care at Home in post-operative (op) Oral cancer patients. Literature search was done using key words, followed by inclusions and exclusions. The search was based on palliative care in oral cancer and home interventions in post-op oral cancer. Relevant articles were searched from various databases such as PubMed and Google Scholar. These articles were assessed by experts. The strong impact of disease stage on the prognosis spotlights the necessity of palliative care in these patients especially as a home care, since most patients suffer from painful swallowing and rely on artificial feeding with Nasogastric tube or have geriatric neuro symptoms and patients might also be bed bound with deteriorating activities of daily living (ADL). Hence, this review highlights the oral care at home in post-op oral cancer patients with future research implications in Palliative Dentistry. KEY WORDS: Oral Cancer, Palliative Care, Palliative Dentistry, Quality of Life