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

Introduction Patients who have jaw or tongue defects owing to head and neck cancer or congenital disease suffer from oral dysfunction such as speech, swallowing, and mastication. Although maxillofacial prostheses are applied to improve oral functions, their oral functions remain compromised compared to those of patients without jaw or tongue defects. On the other hand, it has been reported that oral hypofunction could lead to malnutrition in the general elderly. However, to date, no reports have evaluated the relationship between oral function and nutritional status in patients with maxillofacial prostheses. In this study, we comprehensively evaluated oral function according to the examination items for oral hypofunction. We assessed which functions were related to nutritional status in patients with jaw defects caused by tumors or congenital diseases who are candidates for maxillofacial prosthetic treatment. Methods Patients who underwent prosthetic treatment at the Department of Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Aichi-Gakuin University Dental Hospital, between May 2021 and January 2024 and who were doing well were included in the study. Oral function was assessed with seven tests according to the criteria of the Japanese Society of Geriatric Dentistry, and nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form (MNA-SF). Patients were classified according to age and type of deficiency. Additionally, the presence or absence of oral hypofunction and malnutrition or risk of malnutrition were assessed. The impact of oral hypofunction tests and defect status on the risk of malnutrition was evaluated using a logistic regression model. Results Oral hypofunction and malnutrition or risk of malnutrition were more frequent in the elderly group by age. Regarding the type of defect, the rate of oral hypofunction and malnutrition or risk of malnutrition was highest in the tongue defect group. Results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that nutritional status was associated with tongue deficiency, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, and swallowing function. Conclusion The nutritional status of maxillofacial prosthetic wearers was associated with oral hypofunction. Particularly, malnutrition and risk of malnutrition were increased with tongue defects and deficiencies in tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, and swallowing.