Assessment Of Oral Mucositis In Patients Undergoing Chemoradiotherapy With Oral Mucositis Specific Quality-Of-Life Questionnaire-A Hospital Based Study

Oral mucositis(OM) is a debilitating side effects that are commonly experienced by patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy particularly those receiving treatment for head and neck cancers. The aim is to assess oral mucositis specific quality of life (OMQoL) questionnaires in the patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy with oral mucositis. 60 patients from Saveetha cancer institute with oropharyngeal mucositis were investigated with a OMQoL questionnaire followed by Statistical analysis. Chi square test was used for the association analysis. Pearson's Chi square value was determined, p value was set as <0.05. All the data were collected and was analysed statistically. In our study, results obtained were according to symptoms, 32.26% of patient’s experienced difficulty in mouth opening. Among the diet elements 19.35% of patient’s experienced weight loss. Among social functioning, 35.48% of patient’s experienced difficulty in talking. Among swallowing elements, 29.03% of patient’s experienced throat discomfort. With association of oral mucositis severity grade in mild grade, prevalence of mouth pain was high (11.43%). In moderate grade, difficulty in swallowing soft and solid food was more (11.43%). In severe grade, the difficulty in mouth opening was increased (14. 29%). Pearson’s Chi-square value is 0.852; p value is 0.356 (>0.05). Within the study limitations, our research can be concluded that effects of OM on quality of life goes beyond local oral problems and have been demonstrated to influence the physical, dietary, emotional, and psychological aspects of life.