Oral complications in patients with cancers and dental palliative care; Review article

Cancers have become more prevalent, as the age of populations in different countrieshas increased. Patients suffering from advanced cancers manifest inevitable signs and symptoms due to the disease itself or its medications such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Many terminal patients exhibit oral difficulties that affect their quality of life. Therefore, it is of high importance to pay special attention to maintenance of oral health for patients with cancer and involve oral care in the palliative care of these terminally ill patients. The aim of this article is to review existing literature published between 2000and 2019 to determine different oral complications in patients with cancers and assess varying protocols on palliative care dentistry. A review of the literature was conducted using the key words: "cancer"and "palliative care"and "oral health" and "dental health" in databases including Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar.34 articles met the inclusion criteria. The articles were investigated comprehensively by the researchers. Results from these published articles revealed that oral complications in patients with cancers are divided into objective and subjective complications. Among objective complications are mucositis, stomatitis and xerostomia which are discussed in a noticeable number of researches. Other symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, candidiasis, nutrition, hydration and taste disorder, and problems with oral hygiene have been noticed less. Subjective complications of oral health in terminally ill patients are conducted by Oral Health related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) indices and it has been evaluated in numerous articles. Our review demonstrated the frequency of researches in relation to oral health in patients with cancers. The existing literature suggests that maintaining oral health in these patients is of high importance and implementing palliative care dentistry can play an important role in enhancing their quality of life. Although specific protocols for treating or managing these problems are discussed, there is lack of concern in educating care providers to implement these protocols for their care givers. Therefore, systematic reviews for conducting evidence-based cares are recommended.