Quality of Life Assessment Using OHIP-14 Among Patients with Benign Parotid Gland Tumors Before and After Surgical Management in Lagos State

Benign parotid gland tumors, particularly pleomorphic adenoma, profoundly affect patients' physical appearance, functional ability, and psychological wellbeing during their often extended clinical course. Despite this, patient-reported quality of life (QoL) outcomes in Nigerian maxillofacial surgical practice are rarely systematically assessed. This prospective longitudinal study evaluates oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) instrument among patients undergoing surgical management for benign parotid gland tumors at Lagos University Teaching Hospital and Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, South West Nigeria. Eighty patients with confirmed benign parotid gland pathology were assessed at baseline (preoperative), six weeks, and six months postoperatively. Specific QoL subdomains analyzed include functional limitation, physical pain, psychological discomfort, physical disability, psychological disability, social disability, and handicap. Results indicate significant QoL impairment at baseline across all domains, with the largest negative impact in psychological discomfort and social disability attributed to facial deformity from parotid swelling. Surgical intervention significantly improved OHIP-14 total scores at both follow-up time points, with the greatest improvement observed in functional limitation and social disability. Patients who developed transient postoperative facial nerve weakness showed smaller QoL gains at six weeks. The study demonstrates the value of routine QoL assessment in parotid surgery practice and recommends adoption of OHIP-14 as a standard outcome measure in Nigerian head and neck surgical units. Keywords: quality of life, parotid gland tumor, OHIP-14, Lagos, surgical outcomes.