Occlusal force after partial mandibular resection

Surgical resection of a segment or loss of mandibular continuity can adversely affect most of the structures essential for maximum occlusal force. Five subjects who had partial mandibular resections for treatment of squamous cell carcinoma were studied. Occlusal force was recorded before and after cancer treatment and following prosthetic rehabilitation. A gnathodynamometer was used to record anterior occlusal force. Five edentulous and five dentate cancer-free subjects matched for age were studied to establish comparable normative data. The null hypothesis that partial mandibular resection would not affect maximum occlusal force was rejected (p = 0.0101). Mandibular resection did alter maximum occlusal force. The impact of the decrease in maximum occlusal force on masticatory function is yet to be determined.