Predictive Factors of Masticatory Performance in Post-maxillectomy Obturator Wearers with Soft Palate Defect That is Either Absent or Limited to the Anterior Part

Abstract

Rehabilitation of mastication and swallowing using obturator prosthesis is integral for post-maxillectomy patients. In this report, factors influencing masticatory performance of such patients were analyzed quantitatively, and the results might contribute to develop rational criteria in the diagnosis of masticatory disorder and the evaluation of treatment outcome.

Comprehensive Analyses of Masticatory Function in Maxillectomy Patients with Functioning Removable Prostheses: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

“…All correlations were statistically significant. These results were consistent with previous studies [1,3,5,[15][16][17]19,20,29]. However, these previous studies did not show significant correlations between masticatory function and all these variables, which was a distinctive finding of this study.…”

“…Masticatory function is associated with various factors, implying that the cooperativeness of several factors might permit better masticatory function. Some previous studies showed that masticatory function was comparable between maxillectomy patients and various patients without maxillectomy (healthy dentate patients, healthy edentulous patients, and partially edentulous patients) [2,15,29,30]. In addition, one report analyzed masticatory function using the same methods and threshold values, and a similar finding was confirmed [5].…”

“…The present study indicated that no significant difference between masticatory function in the subjects with and without each therapy was identified, although some groups with more interventions showed higher median values of masticatory function. According to the previous studies, some tumor therapy-related factors, such as the extent of the resected defect [5,15,17,19,29], soft palate resection [3], and oronasal and oroantral communication [4,6,19], were evaluated. The results of this study (no significant effect of each therapy on masticatory function) suggested a complex regulation of mastication by multiple factors.…”

Evaluation of masticatory function after maxillectomy using a colour‐changing chewing gum

“…The configuration of soft palate defects can be classified by the HS classification, and it was a significant predictor of masticatory dysfunction in the current study. Ono's study evaluated masticatory function using gummy jelly, and the defect configuration was divided into two categories, below and above the sagittal midline of the hard palate (H1–3 versus H4–7 of HS classification) . The defect configuration did not become a significant predictor in this study when it was divided into two categories of the H1–3 and H4–7 of HS classification in that study.…”

“…Ono et al . also demonstrated that hard palate resection, occlusal support, age, soft palate resection and number of posterior maxillary teeth affected masticatory function. Koyama's study evaluated masticatory function only by Sato's questionnaire, and the defect configuration was divided into two categories: one was defined to be Armany's class II, and the other was Armany's other classes.…”