Dental Practice Patterns for Oral Care in Medical Oncology Patients-a Survey-Based Assessment of Massachusetts Dentists.
Rushil Rajiv DangBranden BrarJasmine Magbutay PascoChad RebhunWoosung SohnAndrew SalamaPublished in: Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education (2020)
Oral complications associated with cancer therapy lead to a significant deterioration of oral health and overall quality of life. The primary aim of this study was to assess dental practice patterns followed by dentists for oral care of medical oncology patients and to identify potential barriers to recommended care. A questionnaire-based survey was developed using the Qualtrics online platform. It was electronically distributed to all dentists within the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS). Descriptive statistics were automatically computed by Qualtrics. A total of 363 responses (10.7%) were received. Dentists reported minimal correspondence from the oncology team during referrals. Most dentists communicate treatment recommendations to the oncology team with regard to extractions (74.6%), restorations (66.7%), periodontal health (68.8%), and other urgent needs (73.5%). Potential obstacles to providing care included insufficient time for dental care before start of therapy (61%), lack of patient education on oral complications associated with therapy (56%), and lack of dental insurance (31%). Only 50% of the dentists felt adequately trained to treat oncology patients, and 46% of dentists infrequently followed the recommendations set by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial research (NIDCR). The findings of this study indicate significant variability in the referral patterns and practice protocols for medically necessary oral care in oncology patients. The major barriers to following established guidelines for care may be attributed to the lack of correspondence between provider teams, inadequate training of professionals, and financial or insurance factors associated with increased cost of supportive care.
Keyphrases
- palliative care
- healthcare
- quality improvement
- end stage renal disease
- oral health
- affordable care act
- newly diagnosed
- chronic kidney disease
- ejection fraction
- primary care
- prognostic factors
- peritoneal dialysis
- stem cells
- magnetic resonance imaging
- risk assessment
- public health
- drug delivery
- health insurance
- mental health
- health information
- high throughput
- case report
- high intensity