IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279-0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 18, Issue 12 Ser.9 (December. 2019), PP 63-65 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0853-1812096365 www.iosrjournals.org 63 | Page Assessment of Oral Health Related Quality Of Life among Oral Cancer Patients- An Insight Review Dr. Shadab Ali Baig, Dr. Gaurav Sharma, Dr. Fathima Kouser Abstract: Recent legislation aims to improve oral health by increasing access to care and focusing research attention on subjective patient evaluations related to OHRQoL (Oral Health Related Quality of Life). Oral health and quality of life are compromised in radiation and chemotherapy of the head and neck. Given our current economic and healthcare challenges and the resulting political debate around curtailing healthcare costs, access to care is a major policy issue. Using the association between oral health conditions and OHRQoL among oral cancer patients can be an effective mechanism to communicate with policymakers to reveal the importance of oral health and equal access to care. Assessment of OHRQoL may facilitate decision-making for oral cancer patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers. {Dr. Shadab Ali Baig, Assistant Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dr. Gaurav Sharma, Senior Resident, Department of Public Health Dentistry, SCB Dental College & Hospital, Cuttack, Odisha, Dr. Fathima Kouser, General Dental Practitioner, Bangalore} -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 10-12-2019 Date of Acceptance: 25-12-2019 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, oral cancer remains associated with disfigurement and dysfunctions that affect essential domains of life. The importance of assessing the self-reported evaluation of functional status and well-being of patients with cancer has been well documented in the literature. The adoption of a QOL assessment as a standard procedure in hospital settings can contribute to anticipate interventions aimed at reducing the impact of therapeutic applications and improve subsequent patient management. For patients with oral cancer, the self-oriented QOL evaluation is a useful adjunct to the more traditional measures assessing the effectiveness of therapies. 1,2 The term “quality of life” can be identified in Aristotle‟s classical writings of 330 BC. In his Nichomachian ethics, he recognizes the multiple relationships between happiness, well-being, „„eudemonia,‟‟ and quality of life. Historically, the concept of quality of life has undergone various interpretations involving personal experience, perceptions and beliefs, attitudes concerning philosophical, cultural, spiritual, psychological, political, and financial aspects of everyday living. Quality of life is used to describe not only individuals‟ general „„well -being,‟‟ but of societies, as well; and it is quite different with the concept of standard of living, which is based primarily on income. Widely adopted indicators of the quality of life include wealth, employment, built environment, physical and mental health, education, recreation, and social belonging. Quality of life has been extensively used both as an outcome and as an explanatory factor in relation to human health, in various clinical trials, epidemiologic studies, and health interview surveys. In particular, several randomized clinical trials have assessed the impact of the tested intervention on patients‟ physical and mental health, while observational studies have assessed the role of quality of life on peoples‟ health status and life expectancy. 3 During the past years quality-of-life scales have become firmly established as a routine part of evaluating interventions and in planning health care, including oral health. 4 The impact of oral diseases on the quality of life is very obvious. The psychological and social impact of such diseases on daily life is easily comprehensible which makes them of considerable importance. It is evident from the literature that the notion of OHRQoL appeared only in the early 1980s in contrast to the general HRQOL notion that started to emerge in the late 1960s. Several authors have explored the evolution of OHRQoL and documented the circumstances that have led to its prominence. Thus OHRQoL concept started to evolve as more evidence grew of the impact of oral disease on social roles. A simple definition is the one provided by t he United States Surgeon General‟s report on oral health which defines OHRQoL as “a multidimensional construct that reflects (among other things) people‟s comfort when eating, sleeping, and engaging in social interaction; their self-esteem; and their satisfaction with respect to their oral health”. The concept of OHRQoL is significant to 3 areas of dental health in particular; these are the clinical practice of dentistry, dental education and dental research. OHRQoL has an obvious role in clinical dentistry which translates into the clinicians‟ recognition that they do not treat teeth and gums, but human beings.