Evaluation of quality of life of patients with oral cavity cancer in three counties of south Bulgaria.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the quality of life of patients with oral cavity cancer in three counties of South Bulgaria.


METHODS
A standard questionnaire was developed to evaluate the social status. Twenty two patients with oral cancer were interviewed (diagnoses by ICD 9th Revision 141-149). SPSS statistical software version 8.0 was used for statistical analysis employing the alternative analysis and ANOVA.


CONCLUSIONS
Oral cancer affects 1) mostly men-68.2%, 2) smokers-59.1% (of the people we interviewed, smoking regularly twenty and more cigarettes daily), and 3) people who consume alcohol on regular basis - 40.9% of the interviewees. The life quality of the interviewed people was evaluated on a specially developed five-degree scale. 22.7% of the interviewed people were classified as first scale group characerised with speaking and alimentary disorders, impaired aesthetics and pains in the oral cavity. 36.4% were scored as the second scale group--these had speaking disorders and disorders of the alimentary tract, oral cavity pain without impairment of the orofacial aesthetics. 27.3% were classified as third scale group in which the patients had only two functions impaired. Group five contained 4.5% of all patients with no manifest disorders.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that oral cancer patients need a lot of prosthetic care to mend their oral defects and a lot of rehabilitation to restore their ability to function socially, a task which must be realized by a rehabilitation team including the general dental practitioner.
Stoykova
Maria
M
Department of Social Medicine and Health Management, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Mateva
Nonka G
NG
Novakova
Teodora N
TN
D002031:Bulgaria; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires