The aim of this study was to investigate the factors influencing the masticatory function of oral cancer patients who had undergone segmental mandibular resection.
The subjects were 70 patients whose masticatory function could be examined among those who had undergone segmental mandibular resection under a diagnosis of oral cancer or osteoradionecrosis at our hospital since 1992. Masticatory function was evaluated based on total biting force and chewing function score, and then statistically analyzed. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression analyses were performed. In all analyses, the following 10 clinical variables were used as independent variables: 1） age, 2） gender, 3） duration after surgery, 4） performance or nonperformance of mandibular bone reconstruction, 5） the number of residual teeth of the mandible, 6） number of occlusal supports, 7） presence or absence of lower dentures, 8） performance or nonperformance of tongue resection, 9） radiation dosage, and 10） mandibulectomy area.
Among the 10 clinical variables, the number of residual teeth of the mandible had the greatest influence on masticatory function.
This study identified the factors that can be used to estimate the masticatory function of oral cancer patients who had undergone segmental mandibular resection.
