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Optimizing Palliative Care in Oral Rehabilitation for Head and Neck Cancer Patients: Insights and Considerations

Eren Kuan

Oral rehabilitation in head and neck cancer patients poses a formidable challenge for the attending physician due to its potential impact on a range of vital functions, including speech, swallowing, oral secretion management, and mastication. Given that patients are forever altered by surgical interventions, the primary objective of oral rehabilitation is to restore these essential functions post-surgery. The extensive array of side effects resulting from the multifaceted treatments undergone by head and neck cancer patients encompasses issues like xerostomia, mucositis, dysgeusia, dental hypersensitivity, fungal infections, ulceration, gingival bleeding, trismus, pain, reduced salivary flow, and the inability to utilize removable prostheses. All of these side effects must be taken into account throughout the oral rehabilitation process, as they significantly influence the success or failure of the patient's rehabilitation. The strategies and techniques employed for the rehabilitation of head and neck cancer patients are intricately linked to factors such as the type of cancer, its extent (invasive or non-invasive), involvement of lymph nodes and metastases, the type of surgery performed, and the modalities of radiation therapy utilized.