Abstract

The incidence of oral cancer in Brazil is considered one of the highest in the world. In surgical treatments, where part of the maxilla, mandible, and tongue is removed, the maxillofacial prosthesis is used as a rehabilitation treatment. It is considered that patients undergoing surgical treatment of head and neck, when prostheticized, will present an improvement in the quality of life. Objective: to relate the demographic, lifestyle, and clinical aspects to the Physical, Psychological, Social Relations and Environment domains of the WHOQOL-bref quality of life instrument in cancer patients treated surgically and rehabilitated with maxillofacial prostheses. Method: this is a retrospective observational study, consisting of medical records of 189 patients, aged over 18 years, of both sexes, rehabilitated with maxillofacial prostheses. The data were recorded in an Excel spreadsheet, and the variables were considered: demographic, clinical, comorbidities, habits, and history of diseases. The statistical analysis considered the numerical frequency and percentage of the findings, and for the relationship between the variables, non-parametric tests were used (p <0.05). Results: When relating the variables to the Domains, we observed a record of inferior quality of life in patients under 60 years of age. In the analysis by Domains, lower quality of life was recorded for women and the Psychological and Environment Domains; being under 60 and the Environment Domain; consume medication and show four or more clinical signs and symptoms and the Physical Domain, and mention of mental disorders and the Psychological Domain. Conclusion: buccomaxillofacial prostheses become an essential therapeutic resource in the rehabilitation process and provide improvements in the quality of life of these patients, guaranteeing their social reintegration, minimizing functional, aesthetic, and psychological disorders and, despite the difficulties suffered during the treatment. The positive impact of therapy in FOSP, as well as the targeted public policies, produces a positive view of the new reality of the patient and guarantees a better quality of life.

Keywords

rehabilitated, maxillofacial prostheses, numerical frequency, rehabilitation treatment, cavity cancer, sociodemographic, surgical resections, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, non-parametric tests, population during, buccomaxillofacial prostheses, psychological disorders