Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 25, 2026
07:43
Porcine As a Training Module for Head and Neck Microvascular Reconstruction
Published on: September 29, 2018
8.1K
The Development of Simple Daily Jaw Exercises for Patients Receiving Radical Head and Neck Radiotherapy.
Tracey Rose1, Pamela Leco1, Jane Wilson1
1The BC Cancer Agency Centre for the Southern Interior, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Summary
Jaw exercises effectively prevent trismus, a debilitating side effect of head and neck radiotherapy. Patients performing these exercises maintained better mouth opening compared to those who did not.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiotherapy
- Oral Medicine
Background:
- Head and neck radiotherapy can cause trismus, a progressive condition limiting mouth opening.
- Trismus impedes eating and oral hygiene due to radiation damage to jaw muscles.
- Pterygoid muscles are particularly sensitive to radiation, contributing to limited jaw mobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of jaw exercises in preventing radiotherapy-induced trismus.
- To assess the impact of jaw exercises on maintaining jaw mobility in cancer patients.
- To determine if simple exercises can mitigate a common late side effect of radiation therapy.
Main Methods:
- A study compared patients performing jaw exercises with a control group not performing exercises.
- Dental gap measurements (incisor-to-incisor or gum-to-gum) tracked mouth opening.
- Measurements were taken at baseline and scheduled follow-up appointments during radiotherapy.
Main Results:
- A statistically significant difference in dental gap measurements was observed between the groups (P = .01).
- Patients who performed jaw exercises demonstrated wider mouth opening.
- Chemotherapy use was not found to be a significant factor in trismus development (P = .6171).
Conclusions:
- Jaw exercises are a beneficial intervention for preventing trismus in radiotherapy patients.
- The exercises are simple, easy to implement, and well-tolerated by patients.
- This intervention is actively used and has been refined in clinical practice.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Arteries of the Head and Neck
3.1K
The human body's intricate network of arteries ensures that every organ system receives the necessary oxygen and nutrients for optimal function. The arterial network in the head and neck region is particularly complex, providing vital blood flow to the brain, eyes, and other critical structures. Prominent arteries in this region include the internal carotid arteries and the vertebral arteries.
The internal carotid arteries supply blood to the anterior portion of the cerebrum. They enter the...
The internal carotid arteries supply blood to the anterior portion of the cerebrum. They enter the...
3.1K
01:19Veins of Head and Neck
5.4K
The blood drainage from the head and neck is primarily managed by three pairs of veins: the external jugular, internal jugular, and vertebral veins. The external jugular veins drain superficial scalp and face structures, passing over the sternocleidomastoid muscles to empty into the subclavian veins.
On the other hand, the vertebral veins, unlike their arterial counterparts, are not primarily responsible for brain drainage. Instead, they drain the cervical vertebrae, spinal cord, and some small...
On the other hand, the vertebral veins, unlike their arterial counterparts, are not primarily responsible for brain drainage. Instead, they drain the cervical vertebrae, spinal cord, and some small...
5.4K
01:15Receiver Operating Characteristic Plot
480
A ROC (Receiver Operating Characteristic) plot is a graphical tool used to assess the performance of a binary classification model by illustrating the trade-off between sensitivity (true positive rate) and specificity (false positive rate). By plotting sensitivity against 1 - specificity across various threshold settings, the ROC curve shows how well the model distinguishes between classes, with a curve closer to the top-left corner indicating a more accurate model. The area under the ROC curve...
480
01:16Radical Reactivity: Nucleophilic Radicals
2.6K
Radicals adjacent to electron-donating groups are called nucleophilic radicals. These radicals readily react with electrophilic alkenes. The SOMO–LUMO interactions are the driving force for the reaction, where the high-energy SOMO of the electron-rich, nucleophilic radicals interacts with the low-energy LUMO of the electron-deficient, electrophilic alkenes. Such SOMO–LUMO interactions are the basis of reactive radical traps, affecting the selectivity in radical reactions. For...
2.6K
01:02Radical Reactivity: Electrophilic Radicals
2.4K
Radicals adjacent to electron‐withdrawing groups are called electrophilic radicals. These radicals readily react with nucleophilic alkenes. For example, the malonate radical, in which the radical center is flanked by two electron‐withdrawing groups, reacts readily with butyl vinyl ether, which consists of an electron‐donating oxygen substituent. The reaction between electrophilic malonate radical and nucleophilic vinyl ether is favored because the radical has a...
2.4K
01:17Classical Conditioning in Daily Life
2.2K
Classical conditioning, a fundamental principle of associative learning, explains various phenomena observed in daily life, such as fear development, the placebo effect, taste aversion, and drug habituation. These applications demonstrate the profound impact of associative learning on human behavior and physiological responses.
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
John B. Watson and Rosalie Rayner famously demonstrated the development of fear through classical conditioning in their experiment with Little Albert. They paired the...
2.2K