The effect of preventive oral care on treatment outcomes of a cohort of oral cancer patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess patient adherence to an oral preventive measures (OPM) protocol and its impact on cancer treatment outcomes.

Methods: A retrospective cohort of oral cancer of 133 patients submitted to radiotherapy (RT) was selected, excluding those with metastasis. Patients were grouped according to their local tumor response after finishing RT (favorable or unfavorable) and adherence to an OPM (none, ≤6 months, and >6 months). OPM included education and counseling about adverse effects, elimination of infection foci, restorative procedures, fluoride therapy, oral rehydration, and maintenance and supervision of oral hygiene throughout treatment. Clinical and pathological characteristics were recorded, and patient outcomes (frequency of adverse effects, RT interruption, and overall survival) were analyzed.

Results: Patients with higher adherence to the OPM had greater occurrence of RT interruption as a consequence of symptoms (p = 0.01); however, these patients were more likely to complete the established RT protocol (p = 0.02). Overall survival (p = 0.01) was higher in the group with higher adherence.

Conclusions: This study suggests that the implementation of oral preventive measures may contribute to improving the prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) treatment by reducing the negative impact of oral complications.