Abstract
Abstract
Introduction
Oral health services provided by New Zealand District Health Boards vary in the types of treatment provided to patients across the country, and also in the case-mix of patients they see. The high needs and vulnerable population, which includes oncology patients, are recognised as a core patient group for care by District Health Board dental departments. Oncology patients undergo various modes of treatment for their cancer, including surgical interventions, radiation therapy, intravenous bisphosphonate infusions and chemotherapy. These treatments have general systemic and oral health effects. Acute or chronic oral conditions can delay or complicate oncology treatments, patients are referred for a dental assessment to reduce the likelihood of complications arising from poor oral health. Many studies have explored head and neck cancer and its relationship to oral health. Less research has described the relationship between other cancer types and oral health. In Northland, there has been an observed influx of patients with a variety of cancer types being seen through the District Health Board Oral Health Service. It is important to investigate why these patients are being referred, what cancer treatment they receive, and what their dental experience has been.
Aims
To explore oncology patient trends at Northland District Health Board Oral Health Services from 2016 to 2020.
To describe oncology patient dental experience, behaviour and Oral Health Related Quality of Life.
Methods
There were two components to this research. A case-series analysis of oncology patients that had clinic appointments at Northland District Health Board Oral Health Services was carried out by searching the dental software ‘Titanium’ and manual cross-checking with patient event data on Northland District Health Board records. A questionnaire was used to retrospectively explore the Oral Health Impact Profile and dry mouth experiences of oncology patients seen by Northland District Health Oral Health Services. The validated measures of the short-form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and the Shortened Xerostomia Inventory (SXI) were used. Answers to various oral health related questions were obtained and demographic characteristics were summarised.
The IBM SPSS version 25 and the Stata Corp (2021) Stata IC statistical software version 16 packages were used to analyse the data.
Results
Some 584 oncology patients were seen from 2016 to 2020, involving over 2000 separate patient events in this period. Multiple cancer type patients were being referred to Northland District Health Board Oral Health Services. Patients with head and neck cancer were being seen, but a high proportion of referrals were for patients with breast cancer. The most common reason for referral was intravenous bisphosphonate use. The participants reported good Oral Health Related Quality of Life. The majority of the group maintained good oral health and were happy with the information received from doctors and dentists involved in their care. The participants reported suffering from severe xerostomia.
Conclusion
A variety of oncology patient types are being referred to Northland District Health Board Oral Health Services. These patients are being referred for a range of reasons and at different stages of their cancer treatment. The survey sample reported good Oral Health Related Quality of Life; this may be due to the ongoing and frequent care they receive, but they do suffer from xerostomia.