Quality of life in oral cancer patients--effects of mandible resection and socio-cultural aspects.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess the postoperative quality of life in oral cancer patients depending on different mandible resection types and to collect information about their socio-cultural situation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with primary oral cancer treated with different types of mandibular resection in the Clinic of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Kiel between 1997 and 2007 were included. Quality of life was assessed by means of the EORTC QLQ-C30 and H&N 35 questionnaires. Furthermore, a questionnaire about the socio-cultural background of the patients was applied. To be included, at least one year had to be passed after tumour resection. RESULTS: 111 of 235 questionnaires were returned (47%). Significant differences in quality of life were found between patients with soft tissue resections and bone resections. There were significant worse values for continuity resections compared to only partial resections. Sixty-seven patients (60.4%) had a graduation of an elementary school as the highest school graduation, four patients (3%) had no school graduation. CONCLUSIONS: The postoperative quality of life in our patients was significantly influenced by the extent of bone resection. This should be considered for surgical planning. The socio-cultural data showed a rather low education level for the majority of the patients.

Forces charging the orbital floor after fractures.

The objective of this study was first to establish a method to measure forces and displacement of the orbital content in defects of the orbital floor in truncated fresh and unfixed heads and second to characterize reconstruction materials with regard to punctuation strength and compression.Orbital floor defects (10 × 20 mm and 15 × 20 mm; 3 mm behind the orbital rim) were prepared after Le Fort I osteotomy. The values of force and displacement were recorded in 6 freshly frozen human heads. In addition, the punctuation strength of 2 reconstruction materials (polydioxanone [PDS] foil and collagen membrane) was evaluated using a Zwick Z010 TN1 universal testing machine. The forces of the orbital content (28.41 [SD, 1.6] g) applied to the defects of 10 × 20 mm and 15 × 20 mm with an intact periorbita were 0.04 (SD, 0.003) N (0.0002 MPa) and 0.07 (SD, 0.02) N (0.0002 MPa), respectively, and with a split periorbita were 0.06 (SD, 0.03) N (0.0003 MPa) and 0.08 (SD, 0.06) N (0.00026 MPa), respectively. The displacement values without reconstruction materials of the 10 × 20-mm and 15 × 20-mm defects were 0.94 (SD, 0.7) mm and 1.2 (SD, 0.5) mm, respectively. The PDS foil could withstand forces of 118.9 (SD, 14.1) N (0.375 MPa), and the collagen membrane could withstand forces of 44.5 (SD, 5.3) N (0.14 MPa). This is the first study to report forces charging the orbital floor. The presented results support the use of PDS foils and collagen membranes as reconstruction materials for orbital floor defects, at least in smaller and medium-sized fractures.