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Impact of oral mucositis on oral‐health‐related quality of life of patients diagnosed with cancer
Author(s) -
Barkokebas Andreza,
Silva Igor Henrique Morais,
Andrade Samantha Cardoso,
Carvalho Alessandra Albuquerque Tavares,
Gueiros Luiz Alcino Monteiro,
Paiva Saul Martins,
Leão Jair Carneiro
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of oral pathology and medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.887
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1600-0714
pISSN - 0904-2512
DOI - 10.1111/jop.12282
Subject(s) - quality of life (healthcare) , medicine , mucositis , cronbach's alpha , cancer , radiation therapy , oral health , physical therapy , psychometrics , dentistry , clinical psychology , nursing
Oral mucositis (OM) has been described as the oral complication most frequently associated with antineoplastic therapy. However, the influence on the quality of life of affected patients is still unclear. Objective To evaluate the impact of OM on the oral‐health‐related quality of life ( OHRQ oL) of patients diagnosed with cancer, who developed chemotherapy‐ and/or radiotherapy‐induced OM. Methods This is a cross‐sectional evaluation of QoL using oral health impact profile‐14 ( OHIP ‐14). The study group comprised a sample of 60 patients diagnosed with cancer, who developed OM during the treatment. The instrument ( OHIP ‐14) composed of seven dimensions was used: functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical deficiency, psychological deficiency, social incapacity, and deficiency. Results The internal consistency of OHIP ‐14 measured by the Cronbach's α coefficient was of 0.76. Physical pain attained the highest score (worst quality of life) among the studied dimensions 60.8% (292/480), followed by physical limitation 52.7% (253/480), and psychological discomfort 50.8% (244/480). The dimension ‘social limitation’ obtained the lowest score 27.2% (131/480). There was statistically significant difference as regards gender ( P = 0.021) for physical pain, with greater impact among patients of the male gender. Conclusion Oral‐health‐related quality of life is significantly affected by OM in individuals diagnosed with cancer.