Evaluation of the quality of life through the employment of OHIP-14 for patients with cancer in the area of the head and neck, submitted to anti-neoplasic therapy and to dental treatment

• Grant number: 14/04445-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: July 01, 2014
• End date: December 31, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry
• Principal Investigator: Paulo Sérgio da Silva Santos
• Grantee: Ana Cláudia Scaraficci
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Head and neck cancer is considered as a very severe and mutilating disease. Nowadays, radiotherapy is the most important non-surgical treatment to fight cancer. Nonetheless, it causes some adverse effects to the patient and may harm the oral cavity, when the tumors are located in the area of the head and neck, causing mucositis, xerostomia, blazing, jock-jaw, carie, dysphagia, and osteoradionecrosis. Through the employment of the questionnaire OHIP-14 (Oral Health Impact Profile), it will become possible to evaluate the impact (low, average, or high) of the dental treatment before radiation, and dental treatment during radiation, upon the quality of life of the patients with head and neck cancer, as well as evaluating the level of the oral mucositis in those patients. The questionnaire OHIP-14 will be applied into four steps. First step: the questionnaire will be applied on the initial consultation, before the patients are submitted to dental treatment, previously to radiotherapy. Second step: the questionnaire will be applied after the termination of the dental treatment, before starting the radiotherapy sessions. Third step: the questionnaire will be applied during the anti-neoplasic therapy, after 15 to 20 radiotherapy sessions. Fourth step: the questionnaire will be applied again, after the termination of both: the anti-neoplasic and dental treatments. The level of mucositis will also be evaluated, in accordance to the World Health Organization. After the employment of the questionnaires and evaluation of the maximum level of mucositis, presented during all the oncological treatment, the statistical analysis will be realized, through "Wilcoxon and Spearman's correlation coefficient" test, in order to: a) identify if there was quality of life improvement after the previous dental treatment; b) to evaluate the impact on the quality of life of the patients during the oncological treatment; c) to evaluate the quality of life of the patient after the termination of both: the dental and anti-neoplasic treatments; d) to evaluate the influence of the dental treatment (low intensity laser therapy) on the quality of life. (AU)