Exploring the integration of dentistry within a multidisciplinary palliative care team: does bedside dental care improve quality of life and symptom burden in inpatient palliative care patients?

Background Despite the significant impact of oral problems on the quality of life of palliative care patients, comprehensive studies are lacking. This study is the first of its kind to address this gap by including both a dental examination and an intervention and assessing quality of life using the EORTC QLQ OH 15 questionnaire. Objectives The objective of this study is to explore the impact of incorporating dentists into inpatient palliative care, with a focus on enhancing quality of life and alleviating symptom burden. Methods In this monocentric study, data were gathered from a palliative care unit over an 8-month period. At the beginning of the multidisciplinary treatment, T0, patients underwent both a dental examination and interviews utilizing established questionnaires, the EORTC QLQ-C30 (core, general) and OH 15 (oral health). A week later, at T1, patients underwent a follow-up examination and interview. The QLQ-C30 and OH15 are widely recognized instruments developed by the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) for evaluating health related quality of life in cancer patients. Results A total of n = 103 patients (48.5% women) were enrolled in the study. The median duration since their last dental visit was 1 year, and the dental condition at T0 was desolate. At T1, statistically and clinically significant changes in oral quality of life and symptom burden were observed. Noteworthy changes were noted in the OH-QoL score (median 63 vs. 92, p