Year : 2019

Volume : Volume 10

Issue : Issue 1

Address for correspondence :
Dr. Thalaimalai Saravanan
ThalaimalaiSaravanan@gmail.com

Abstract

Background:  Palliative care is a versatile approach that aims to improve the quality of life of patients through the prevention and relief of suffering by early identification and exemplary assessment and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems. It is ideal that palliative care team should include specialists from various fields to provide comprehensive overall care to the patient. Head and neck cancer impacts uniquely on the health and well-being of patients. Alleviation of pain, reducing the suffering, providing relief, treatment of any other complications which occur during the treatment or post treatment of the cancer patients are taken care in palliative care. The dental or oral medicine specialist can play an important role in alleviating both the physical and psychological pain of dying and in treating the effects caused due to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. This article discusses a series of cases where the role of an oral medicine specialist is highlighted in palliative care of a patient.

Keywords: Dentistry, Oral cancer, Oral medicine, Palliative care.