Tongue function and its influence on masticatory performance in patients treated for oral cancer: a five-year prospective study

Tongue function and its influence on masticatory performance in patients treated for oral cancer: a five-year prospective study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to observe the impact of oral oncological treatment, including the recovery of several tongue functions (force, mobility, and sensory functions), and to determine the influence of these functions on masticatory performance. Materials and methods Masticatory perf...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Supportive care in cancer Vol. 28; no. 3; pp. 1491 - 1501
Main Authors: de Groot, Reilly J., Merkx, Matthias A.W., Hamann, Merel N.S., Brand, Henk S., de Haan, Anton F.J., Rosenberg, Antoine J.W.P., Speksnijder, Caroline M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-03-2020
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Aged
Analysis
Bite Force
Cancer
Cancer patients
Cancer therapies
Care and treatment
Female
Humans
Male
Mastication - physiology
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Mobility
Mouth Neoplasms - pathology
Mouth Neoplasms - therapy
Nursing
Nursing Research
Oncology
Oncology, Experimental
Oral cancer
Original
Original Article
Otolaryngology
Pain Medicine
Prospective Studies
Rehabilitation Medicine
Senses
Side effects
Teeth
Tongue
Tongue - physiology
Tongue function
Oral cancer
Masticatory performance
Mixed model analysis
Prospective study
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Summary:Purpose The purpose of this study was to observe the impact of oral oncological treatment, including the recovery of several tongue functions (force, mobility, and sensory functions), and to determine the influence of these functions on masticatory performance. Materials and methods Masticatory performance and tongue force, mobility, and sensory functions were determined in 123 patients with oral cavity cancer. The assessments were performed 4 weeks before treatment and 4 to 6 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, and 5 years after treatment. Generalized estimation equations and mixed model analyses were performed, correcting for previously identified factors in the same population. Results A significant deterioration in tongue mobility and sensory function was observed in patients with mandible and tongue and/or floor-of-mouth tumors. Better tongue force and sensory function (thermal and tactile) positively influenced masticatory performance, and this effect was stronger where fewer occlusal units were present. The effect of both the tongue force and maximum bite force was weaker in dentate patients in comparison with patients with full dentures. A web-based application was developed to enable readers to explore our results and provide insight into the coherence between the found factors in the mixed model. Conclusions Tongue function deteriorates after oral oncological treatment, without statistically significant recovery. Adequate bite and tongue forces are especially important for patients with a poor prosthetic state. Patients with sensory tongue function deficits especially benefit from the presence of more occluding pairs.
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ISSN:0941-4355
1433-7339
DOI:10.1007/s00520-019-04913-y