Purpose: This preliminary study examined whether the type of surgery performed for head and neck lesion was associated perceived chewing ability, objective masticatory function,and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients who required a dento-maxillary prosthesis postoperatively. Methods: Thirty-eight patients with a dento-maxillary prosthesis were divided into three groups according to the type of surgery received: marginal mandibulectomy, segmental mandibulectomy with bony reconstruction, or glossectomy. Perceived chewing ability,objective mixing ability, and OHRQoL were evaluated using a food intake questionnaire,color-changeable chewing gum, and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index (GOHAI),respectively. Differences in the scores obtained by the three measures were compared between the surgical groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test, and associations between the scores in each group were analyzed by Spearman's rank correlation analysis. Results: Objective mixing ability was found to be significantly low only in patients who underwent glossectomy. No other measures differed significantly between the surgical groups. Perceived chewing ability and objective mixing ability were significantly associated in the marginal mandibulectomy and glossectomy groups but not in the segmental mandibulectomy group. Furthermore, GOHAI score was significantly associated with perceived chewing ability and objective mixing ability in the marginal mandibulectomy group. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the present findings suggest that the type of surgery received might influence food mixing ability. Associations among food mixing ability, perceived chewing and OHRQoL are not accountable depending on the type of surgery received, indicating the presence of other contributing factors to be considered.
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