What are the impacts of oral complications from cancer therapy on the quality of life of children? A protocol to update a scoping review

Abstract

Introduction Cancer treatments can damage healthy tissues and organs, and leave harmful impacts on cancer survivors, especially on children and adolescents. The oral effects of cancer treatment can occur during or soon after treatment, or months – even years – later. Cancer treatments can also affect the child, psychologically and socially by hindering their speech, eating, sleeping, and social interactions. These effects can have profound impacts on children’s quality of life. Building on a previous review published in 2012, this scoping review aims to identify and map the current evidence base underpinning the oral health-related impacts of cancer treatment on the quality of life of children with cancer. Methodology and methods Our methodology is guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s methodological framework for scoping reviews, Levac’s additions to the framework, and follows the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer’s Manual. Five electronic databases and grey literature will be systematically searched using a predefined search strategy. Two reviewers will independently screen the retrieved articles using Rayyan software and chart data from included articles. One of the team’s senior research members will act as a third reviewer and make the final decision on disputed documents. We will include literature with a focus on oral health-related quality of life of children undergoing cancer treatments. Following the selection of studies, data will be extracted, synthesized, and reported thematically and the relevant stakeholder’s insight will be added to our results. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is required as exclusively secondary data will be used. Results will be disseminated in cancer and oral health conferences, symposia, and a peer-reviewed journal. The information extracted from this review will also be the base for a qualitative study on the quality-of-life impacts of oral health effects of childhood cancer including children’s perspectives.