Assessment of Oral Health-Care Needs for Patients under Palliative Care

BACKGROUND: Patients under palliative care and their caregivers often ignore the dental treatment and oral hygiene needs as a result of which they face many day to day problems, which include difficulty in chewing, halitosis, and dry mouth eventually deteriorating the quality of life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to understand the oral needs and oral health-related concerns of the patients under palliative care. METHODOLOGY: A total of eight patients agreed to enroll in the study. A detailed interview with oral examination, including Sillness and Loe Plaque Index and Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (dmft) Index, was recorded. Patients were also given the treatment needed if willing for the same. RESULTS: In our study, we observed that the mean dmft scores of dentulous patients were 7.96 ± 3.35, and mean plaque score was 1.75 ± 2.12, which was significantly higher and further highlights the need for dental treatment. CONCLUSION: The patients under palliative care have many oral problems such as dry mouth, difficulty in eating, halitosis which needs to be addressed; hence, dental health plays an important role in improving the quality of life of these patients.