Palliative oral care in patients undergoing radiotherapy: Integrated review

Xerostomia: a silent burden for people receiving palliative care - a qualitative descriptive study

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of dry mouth in the palliative care population is well documented and increases due to polypharmacy, radiotherapy and systemic conditions. Saliva as a lubricant for the mouth and throat has implications for swallowing, chewing, and speech. The literature about the experience of xerostomia (perceived feeling of dry mouth) in palliative care is scarce. Clinical evidence suggests that xerostomia has a negative impact on people's comfort, however, no recent studies explored this impact in detail. This new knowledge is paramount to adhere to the principles of palliative care.

AIMS

To evaluate the impact of xerostomia on the lives of people receiving palliative care with particular reference to eating and speaking.  DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study (interview design). Thematic analysis was used for data analysis.

SETTING

A single specialist palliative care centre in Ireland.

RESULTS

The majority of participants (35/40) had cancer. Xerostomia was reported to have multiple physical, psychological, and daily life consequences. Participants provided insights into the impact of xerostomia on sleeping, eating, talking, denture wearing, and they described in detail their intra-oral sensations associated with xerostomia. The negative effect of xerostomia on speech was reported as the most significant to participants.

CONCLUSION

Xerostomia has a profound impact on the daily lives of people receiving palliative care, including physical and psychological consequences. Speaking is often affected, which can impede the person's ability to communicate. There needs to be increased awareness of the impact of xerostomia and more research is required to understand how best to manage xerostomia in a palliative care setting.

The association between oral hygiene and head and neck cancer: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Oral hygiene has been suspected to contribute to the aetiology of head and neck cancer (HNC). Based on the meta-analysis, we evaluated the impact of oral hygiene on head and neck cancer (HNC) and its survival.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Relevant case-control and cohort studies reporting survival data, oral hygiene data were searched via PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases. The odds ratios (ORs), hazard ratios (HRs), and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used. Subgroup analysis was performed.

RESULTS

Oral hygiene was associated with HNC. Tooth brushing ≥2 a day, dental floss use, denture wearing, caries ≥3, and dental visit ≥1 reduced the risk of oral cavity cancer while mouth wash use, missing teeth >5, gum bleeding, and periodontal disease increased the risk of oral cavity cancer. For oropharynx cancer, tooth brushing ≥2 and caries ≥3 were associated with reduced risk of it. Tooth brushing ≥2 and dental visits ≥1 decreased the risk of pharynx cancer risk and larynx cancer risk, however, missing teeth >5 increased both of them.

CONCLUSION

Oral hygiene was associated with HNC and its sub sites. Oral hygiene should be strengthened, a dental floss use and dentist's visits can be recommended.

Oral Health Management and Rehabilitation for Patients with Oral Cancer: A Narrative Review

Surgery is the current first choice for oral cancer treatment. Intensity-modulated radiation therapy, molecular targeted drugs, and immune checkpoint inhibitors are still used as adjuvant therapy for advanced cancer. In addition, postoperative rehabilitation and multidisciplinary treatment have also been developed in recent years. Multidisciplinary team approaches and supportive care in oral cancer treatment reportedly shorten the time to treatment and improve outcomes. Although there is enough evidence confirming the role of oral and maxillofacial surgeons, dentists, and dental hygienists in supportive care in oral cancer treatment, there are very few systematic studies. In particular, oral health management is a concept that encompasses oral function management, oral hygiene management, and oral care during oral cancer treatment. We provide a narrative review focusing on oral health management from a multidisciplinary and supportive care perspective, applicable in oral cancer treatment.

[Low-level laser therapy in oncology - what's new? Analysis of 2018-2021 publications]

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) is included in the Federal project «Fight against oncological diseases», which provides for equipping all specialized medical institutions in Russia with the appropriate devices until 2026.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

Publications analysis on the use of LLLT in oncology.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

To search for publications, databases and libraries were used: PubMed, Scopus, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, J-STAGE, eLibrary.ru for the period 2018-2021. For analysis, publications were selected that are of interest from the point of view of improving the methodology of LLLT, the prospects for the development of this method in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of patients. A total of 223 publications were found, including 39 reviews and meta-analyses, mostly in English (165) and Portuguese (41).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The inclusion of LLLT in the ISOO/MASCC/ASCO recommendations for the treatment of complications such as mucositis, salivary gland hypofunction and xerostomia caused by non-surgical methods of treating cancer patients should be considered as a promising trend. An extremely low level of quality of LLLT techniques was noted, most often the replacement with meaningless «doses», «fluences» instead of the necessary parameters: wavelength, operating mode, power, frequency, exposure, etc. The use of only local illumination instead of systemic methods of LLLT does not allow obtaining the best results of treatment and prevention. Eliminating the shortcomings of treatment protocols with a focus on Russian experience, when laser blood illumination (intravenously or externally) and laser acupuncture are also necessarily carried out with local illumination of the lesion, will bring the effectiveness of LLLT to a qualitatively new, higher level.