THE ORAL HEALTH IMPACTS OF CANCER AND ITS TREATMENT ON CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING: A QUALITATIVE PROTOCOL

Introduction While cancer treatments clearly improve cancer outcomes, they inadvertently damage healthy tissues and organs, including causing oral and dental complications. Oral health complications can lead to cognitive, psychological, and social impairments which can have a profound impact on children’s well-being. Current knowledge of these consequences comes from clinical studies focusing on caregivers' viewpoints. Though it is important to directly involve children in research to gain a firsthand understanding of their experiences. Objectives The aim of this study is to better understand how oral health effects of cancer and its treatment impact the well-being of children with, or who have survived, cancer from their own perspective. Methodology Participants will be recruited from a tertiary care pediatric hospital. We will use a participatory hermeneutic ethnographic methodology and a Childhood Ethics theoretical framework to center children’s perspectives. Data will be generated through document analysis, participant observation and semi-structured interviews. We will observe discussions among children, families, and healthcare professionals, and conduct interviews with stakeholders: children (n=10-15) who are undergoing or completed treatments; parents/caregivers (n=10-15); and healthcare professionals (n=8-10). Interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed. Analysis will use SAMSSA methods to identify key aspects of children’s experiences related to their oral health and the impact it has on their well-being, as well as health and social factors that affect this experience. Significance: Through this study, we will gain insight into how cancer and treatment-induced oral health complications impact children’s well-being, results from which will be translated into clinical and policy recommendations