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Dental status and quality of life in long-term head and neck cancer survivors.
- Source :
- Laryngoscope; 2005, Vol. 115 Issue 4, p678-683, 6p
- Publication Year :
- 2005
-
Abstract
- <bold>Objectives: </bold>To analyze how the dental status of long-term head and neck cancer survivors affects their subjective quality of life.<bold>Study Design: </bold>Observational case series.<bold>Methods: </bold>A convenience sample of 5-year head and neck cancer survivors underwent the following battery of tests: 1) targeted head and neck examination, 2) updated medical history, 3) dental evaluation, 4) standardized quality of life questionnaires.<bold>Results: </bold>Eighty-six survivors were included in the study. The following associations were identified: 1) those who became edentulous secondary to cancer treatment and those without occlusion at time of the study demonstrated worse Pain, Activity, Recreation/Entertainment, Chewing, Swallowing, Speech, Eating in Public, Normalcy of Diet, Physical Well-Being, Social/Family Well-Being, Functional Well-Being, and Additional Concerns scores; 2) higher Decayed/Missing/Filled scores were associated with worse Pain, Disfigurement, Activity, Recreation/Entertainment, Employment, Chewing, Swallowing, Speech, Eating in Public, Understandability of Speech, Normalcy of Diet, Physical Well-Being, Additional Concerns scores, and weight loss; 3) decreased oral opening measurements were associated with worse Chewing, Swallowing, Eating in Public, Normalcy of Diet, Additional Concerns scores, and weight loss; 4) edentulous survivors who did not use dentures had worse Pain, Activity, Recreation/Entertainment, Understandability of Speech, and Eating in Public scores.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>Although previous studies have shown that many of the effects of cancer treatment disappear between 1 and 3 years, this study shows that the dental status has a persistent impact on subjective quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0023852X
- Volume :
- 115
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Laryngoscope
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 90732016
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1097/01.mlg.0000161354.28073.bc