Prediction of post-treatment trismus in head and neck cancer patients

Trismus in oral cancer patients undergoing surgery and radiotherapy

“…10 No relationship between trismus and gender was observed although females have been reported to have more trismus because of a smaller maximal mouth opening than men. 7 No association was found between the patient age and reduction in mouth opening. No significance was found between the site of cancer and trismus.…”

“…The presence of trismus postradiotherapy could not clearly indicate the contribution of RT in reduction in mouth opening of the patients since a large proportion of patients already had trismus preoperatively. 7 Trismus, when present at the time of discharge after surgery and after radiation therapy, is a potential problem worthy of intervention at an early stage so physical therapy can be started. Treatment that incorporates motion of the joint also has been shown to be more efficacious than other treatments that simply stretch connective tissue.…”

Limitation of mouth opening after radiotherapy for head and neck

“…This percentage is considered high, more than one fifth of the patients, although it is less than that found by Lee et al 11 , where 79% of patients had trismus six months after the conclusion of radiotherapy, and…”

“…In the study by Lee et al 11 it was noted that patients who were regular consumers of alcohol have a lower chance of the occurrence of restricted mouth opening, possibly due to the intoxication which could reduce the sensation of pain during movement of the jaw, leading to a wider opening of the mouth than amongst those who do not use alcohol. In the present study, there was no statistical difference between mouth opening patients who were drinkers compared with those who did not drink.…”

“…The mouth opening capacity was checked using digital calipers (Pantec -São Paulo, Brazil). In those patients who still have their teeth, the distance was measured between the incisal edge of the upper and lower incisors (11,41); patients with an edentulous lower arch and without the use of a prosthesis, the distance between the incisal edge of tooth 11 and the lower alveolar ridge (region of tooth 41); patients with an edentulous upper arch and without the use of a prosthesis, the distance between the incisal edge of tooth 41 and the alveolar ridge (region of tooth 11); edentulous patients using prostheses, the distance between the upper and lower dentures was measured, or if the patient had no prosthesis, the maximum distance between the two alveolar ridges (location of teeth 11 and 41) was measured, as described by Dijkstra et al 7 A patient was deemed to be suffering from trismus when his/her maximum mouth opening was less than 35 mm 7 .…”