Impact of dental considerations on the quality of life of oral cancer patients

AIM: To evaluate the significance of pre-treatment dental care in oral cancer patients and to assess its impact on the quality of life of these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample size included 50 oral cancer patients who were visiting to a palliative care unit at Jaipur. Assessment was based on thorough case history, complete dental examination. Quality of life was estimated by W.H.O quality of life questionnaire. RESULT: On analysis, patients of age group 50-59 avoided to prophylactic dental treatment before cancer treatment and therapy. Seventy-eight percent patients experienced worst quality of life after the treatment as a result of dental complications. Out of those 78%, only 2% of patients took preventive dental treatments before the cancer therapy. CONCLUSION: Dental negligence is still a major cause of worsening of post treatment quality of life of an individual. Therefore, the treating oncologist should always take these considerations seriously to provide quality treatment to the patient.