Relationship Between Oral Hypofunction and Nutritional Status in Patients Treated With Maxillofacial Prostheses

Area of Science:

• Maxillofacial Prosthodontics
• Oral Health
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Patients with jaw or tongue defects experience oral dysfunction affecting speech, swallowing, and mastication.
• Maxillofacial prostheses can improve function but often leave residual deficits.
• Oral hypofunction is linked to malnutrition in the elderly, but this connection is unexplored in maxillofacial prosthesis users.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively evaluate oral function in patients with jaw defects.
• To assess the relationship between oral function and nutritional status in these patients.
• To identify specific oral functions associated with malnutrition risk in maxillofacial prosthesis candidates.

Main Methods:

• Oral function was assessed using seven tests based on Japanese Society of Geriatric Dentistry criteria.
• Nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF).
• Logistic regression analysis examined the impact of oral hypofunction and defect status on malnutrition risk.

Main Results:

• Oral hypofunction and malnutrition risk were more prevalent in older patients.
• The tongue defect group showed the highest rates of oral hypofunction and malnutrition risk.
• Nutritional status correlated with tongue deficiency, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, and swallowing function.

Conclusions:

• Nutritional status in maxillofacial prosthesis wearers is significantly associated with oral hypofunction.
• Tongue defects and impaired tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, and swallowing increase malnutrition risk.