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The quality of life (QOL) in patients with cancer in the head and neck regions has become an increasingly important factor in medical treatment. We examined the effect of a prosthesis on the QOL based on the patients' own subjective evaluations. Sixty-eight head and neck cancer patients who had been treated in the Department of Prosthetic Dentistry of the Faculty of Dentistry, Kyushu University, were compared with 35 denture wearers as a control. General denture satisfaction in the control group showed a statistical correlation with eating (P<0.01, t-test; rho = 0.72, Spearman rank correlation), aesthetic satisfaction (P<0.01, rho = 0.57) and pain (P<0.01, rho = 0.51). On the other hand, for cancer patients, general denture satisfaction showed a statistical correlation with not only eating (P<0.01, rho = 0.34), aesthetic satisfaction (P<0.01, rho = 0.33) and pain (P<0.01, rho = 0.41) but also health (P<0.01, rho = 0.33) and mental well-being (P<0.01, rho = 0.41). A statistical correlation between the Denture score and the QOL score was thus observed in cancer patients (P<0.0001, rho = 0.56), while the correlation for the control group was not statistically significant. This study showed that oral prostheses for head and neck cancer patients are important factors not only for eating but also for the overall patient QOL.

It has been shown that a test capsule originally designed as a simple and reliable aid to evaluate masticatory ability could help to identify the characteristics of chewing loops between individuals in evaluation of masticatory movement, and detect even a slight disorder in the stomatognathic system. In this study, the Sirognathograph(R) Analysing System was used to record and analyse mandibular movement with the test capsule and seven foods. In terms of total examination of the chewing rhythm, the test capsule showed a higher SX/SY ratio of chewing cycle duration (SX: variance between individuals, SY: variance between chewing loops of each person) than those of the comparative foods, excluding chewing gum. The coefficient of variation of the test capsule in the dimensions of the chewing path was lower than those of the comparative foods. Reverse and crossover patterns in chewing gum have been frequently observed in subjects with craniomandibular disorders. Subjects with a low frequency of such patterns in chewing gum tended to have a low frequency with the test capsule as well. Those with a high frequency in chewing gum tended to show such patterns with the test capsule more frequently.

In order to clarify the relationship between mastication and senility, 87 senior patients over 65 years old (78.5 on average) hospitalized in senile hospitals were studied on the progress of dementia, diseases, eye sight and hearing acuity generally, on DMF index, maximum biting force, height of rest of alveolar ridge, frequency of denture use, complaints about present denture and on the precence/absence of spouse, friends and hobbies psychogenicly. The results were obtained as follows. 1. The most frequent disease at senile hospitals where many patients had been long hospitalized was disease of bones and joints such as osteoarthritis and osteoperosis. The second most one was disease of circulatory system, such as hypertension, cerbrovasucular disease and heart disese. 47% patients were diagnosed senilia. 2. The study showed that the progressed senility reduced the number of residual teeth, the use of denture and the maximum biting force. 3. Among psychological factors which seem to enhance the senility, the survival rate of spouses lowered as the senility of the patients progressed. The rate in the dementia group was about 1/3 of that in the normal group.

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