Evaluation of Oral Hygiene Status and Symptom Burden among Patients Receiving Palliative Care: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: To evaluate the oral hygiene status of patients receiving PC using the modified oral assessment guide (OAG). Secondary objectives included assessment of oral and systemic symptom burden using the modified Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) and evaluation of functional status using the Palliative Performance Scale (PPS). Materials and Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study was conducted among 59 participants selected through convenience sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data, primary diagnosis and the impact of oral health on QoL, alongside PPS assessment. Oral hygiene and symptom burden were evaluated using the modified OAG and modified MSAS, respectively. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (version 23), with descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlation to examine relationships between functional status and symptom severity. Results: The mean PPS was 82.54 ± 8.22, indicating relatively preserved functional status. Despite this, mild-to-moderate oral impairments were common. Lower PPS scores were significantly associated with greater oral symptom burden, with the strongest correlation observed between PPS and total MSAS oral symptom score (ρ = −0.395, p = 0.002). Conclusion: Patients receiving PC commonly experience mild-to-moderate oral symptoms, particularly xerostomia, despite relatively preserved functional status. Lower functional status was associated with greater oral symptom burden. These findings support routine oral assessment and integration of oral healthcare into multidisciplinary palliative care to facilitate early identification and management of oral problems.