Oral insights in palliative pathways focus on noncancer illnesses – A narrative review

ABSTRACT Introduction: While palliative care has traditionally focused on cancer patients, it is now increasingly recognized as crucial for a variety of complex non-malignant diseases, including Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, heart failure, renal failure, cirrhosis, Human immunodeficiency virus, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders. As these progressive conditions intensify symptom burden and psychosocial strain, the need for holistic care-including symptom optimization, emotional support, shared decision-making, and integrated interdisciplinary management-becomes essential Methods; An electronic search was done in such databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar using the key words Palliative care, non-cancerous patients, chronic illness, quality of life, symptom management, supportive care. The search involved the articles published between November 2005 to December 2024. Results: 17 articles were taken into the review. The results indicate that palliative care incorporates symptom management, psychosocial counseling, feeding support, and coordinated interdisciplinary collaboration between the healthcare providers to enhance comfort and quality of life. Discussion: Despite differences in the progression of the disease, these chronic diseases present similar palliative care requirements, including prompt symptom control, psychosocial assistance, and oral hygiene. Early integration of palliative care helps reduce suffering and preserve dignity, as well as supporting families in the decision-making process despite the persistence of problems of late referral and ignorance.