Factors Associated With Intraoral Skin Graft Take Following Oral Cavity Surgery

Area of Science:

• Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Oncology

Background:

• Intraoral defects often require reconstruction.
• Split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) are used for oral cavity reconstruction.
• Predictors of STSG success and complications like tongue tethering and dysphagia require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify factors associated with successful intraoral split-thickness skin grafting (STSG).
• To evaluate the occurrence of tongue tethering and dysphagia post-STSG.
• To determine predictors for graft success, tongue tethering, and dysphagia.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of adult patients undergoing intraoral STSG (2018-2024).
• Primary outcome: complete skin graft take.
• Secondary outcomes: tongue tethering and dysphagia. Statistical analysis included Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney U tests.

Main Results:

• Seven of 39 patients (17.9%) achieved successful skin graft take.
• Bolster placement and pie-crusting showed trends toward improved graft success (p=0.059, p=0.057).
• Dysphagia occurred in 6 patients (15.4%) and was significantly associated with radiation and/or chemotherapy (p=0.011, p=0.006).

Conclusions:

• Demographic and clinical factors were not predictive of STSG success.
• Bolster placement and pie-crusting may improve graft survival.
• Dysphagia is significantly linked to adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy, necessitating further research into STSG predictors.