Impact of treatment on quality of life in patients diagnosed with potentially malignant oral diseases

This study aimed to investigate the impact of treatment on the quality of life (QoL) in patients diagnosed and treated for potentially malignant oral diseases (OPMDs) such as leukoplakia, oral lichen planus, and a ctinic cheilitis.OPMDs are chronic diseases with a significant risk of cancerous transfo rmation, affecting 1% to 5% of the global population.Symptoms like pain, burning sensation, trismus, and altered taste adversely affect patients' QoL, compounded by delays in diagn osis.Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted from June 2023 to June 2024, involved 30 patients from the "Sf.Spiridon" Emergency Clinical Hospital in Iasi, Romania.Participants were assessed using a disease-specific QoL questionnaire, which included 20 questions across four subscales: difficulty with diagnosis, physical and functional lim itations, psychological and social well-being, and the effect of treatment on daily life.Results: Participants consisted of 16 males (53.3%) and 14 females (46.7%), aged between 42 and 75 years, with an average age of 64.6113.69years.Patients with oral lichen planus and leukoplakia had a statistically significantly lower quality of life compared to patients with actinic cheilitis (p = 0.038).Conclusions: The three groups indicated a varied impact of the diseases and treatments on different aspects of life.Implementing disease-specific QoL assessment tools can aid in better understanding and addressing the special needs of OPMD patients, ultimately improving treatment outcomes and patient care.