PURPOSE Patients with terminal cancer undergoing multidisciplinary palliative care often have oral health problems, but these details are still unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to elucidate the oral health of patients with terminal-stage cancer who are inpatient recipients of acute-phase palliative care, and to unveil the factors affecting their oral health. METHODS Participants were 121 patients with terminal-stage cancer (68 males, 53 females, mean age: 73.6 ± 11.1 years) and oral health complaints. They received palliative care at Tokyo Medical and Dental University Medical Hospital between April 2017 and August 2019. Their demographic and medical details were extracted, retrospectively, from their medical records, and their oral health status, such as the number of natural teeth, removable denture usage, Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT), and Dysphagia Severity Scale, were evaluated. All outcomes were assessed by a dentist from the palliative care team. RESULTS The problems with soft tissue, saliva, and oral cleanliness were observed. The absence of posterior occlusal support was common, and the use of removable dentures was often inadequate. In contrast, swallowing function was relatively well-conserved and 46.3% of the participants were capable of nutrition intake solely by mouth. Multiple regression analysis revealed a significant association between total OHAT score and age, consciousness level, prognostic level, and method of nutritional intake. CONCLUSION The results revealed that the oral health of terminal cancer patients under palliative care declined despite receiving routine oral care from nurses, and suggest the importance of including dental professionals in multidisciplinary palliative care.

中文翻译：

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姑息治疗中影响晚期癌症住院患者口腔健康的因素。

目的 接受多学科姑息治疗的晚期癌症患者通常存在口腔健康问题，但这些细节仍不清楚。这项横断面研究旨在阐明接受急性期姑息治疗的晚期癌症患者的口腔健康，并揭示影响他们口腔健康的因素。方法 参与者是 121 名晚期癌症患者（68 名男性，53 名女性，平均年龄：73.6 ± 11.1 岁）和口腔健康问题。他们于 2017 年 4 月至 2019 年 8 月在东京医科齿科大学医科医院接受姑息治疗。他们的人口统计和医疗细节是从他们的医疗记录中回顾性提取的，以及他们的口腔健康状况，例如天然牙齿的数量、活动义齿的数量用法，评估了口腔健康评估工具 (OHAT) 和吞咽困难严重程度量表。所有结果均由姑息治疗团队的牙医评估。结果 观察到软组织、唾液和口腔清洁方面的问题。缺乏后牙合支持是常见的，并且活动义齿的使用通常是不充分的。相比之下，吞咽功能相对保存完好，46.3%的参与者能够仅通过口腔摄取营养。多元回归分析显示总 OHAT 评分与年龄、意识水平、预后水平和营养摄入方法之间存在显着关联。结论 结果表明，尽管接受护士常规口腔护理，姑息治疗的晚期癌症患者的口腔健康有所下降，