**6. Palliative care for oral cancer patients**

Patients may experience oral side effects as a result of disease or medications. Anti-cancer medications have acute and long-term adverse effects on healthy tissue. The epithelium of the oral mucosa can be affected by most therapeutic agents that may cause xerostomia, mucositis, and taste alterations [98–105].

Beside this side effect, patients in the end stage of the disease, perhaps as a result of their weakness, oral symptoms are one of their highest sources of discomfort. Symptoms involve oral candidiasis, angular cheilitis, oral pain, mucositis, denture stomatitis, dysphagia, ulceration, taste disorders, oral infection, halitosis, and dry mouth, which is the most familiar oral symptom. The causes behind oral problems are several, such as general weakness from disease or its medications; previous cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy; dehydration; and the decrease

the ability of water or food intake; their physical condition may decay because of oral symptoms, which lead to inability of food intake and dehydration [106–109].
