Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Surgically Treated for Benign Oral and Maxillofacial Tumors and Tumor-like Lesions at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the Health-Related Quality of Life of patients diagnosed and treated for benign oral and maxil-lofacial tumors and tumor-like lesions at Muhimbili National Hospital, Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study involving patients with benign tumors and tumor-like lesions in the oral and maxillofacial region. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from the patients, and a modified version of the UW-QoL questionnaire was used by inclusion of 2 domains (mouth opening and financial difficulty). Chi-square test and Friedman’s test were used for paired samples and the level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results: 89 patients with a male to female ratio of 1:1.2. were included in this study. The age of patients ranged from 13 to 78 years (mean age 36.16 years±17.21 SD). Ameloblastoma followed by ossifying fibroma were the most com-mon lesions. The pain site, appearance, swallowing, chewing, mood, anxiety and financial problems were significantly affected at different treatment phases. Patients with volatile income faced 3 times more financial problems than those with stable income. Patients with tumors in the mandible were 3 times more likely to complain about their appearance. Patients who underwent an ablative surgical procedures 7 times more likely to have difficulty chewing. Conclusion: Pain, appearance, swallowing, mood, anxiety, and financial difficulty were the most important issues patients faced. The patients’ age, income, size, and location of tumor and types of surgery significantly affected the do-main scores.