Functional and Esthetic Outcomes after Mandibular Reconstruction in Patients with Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Background: The mandible has a vital role in the functions of mastication, deglutition, speech, as well as the harmony of lower face appearance. Loss of mandibular bone due to ablative surgery can negatively affect the oral function and facial appearance.
Aim: It was to evaluate the impact of defect size, site (HCL classification) where (H) for hemimandibular lateral defect with condylar involvement, (C) central defect, (L) lateral defects without the condyle, and impact of different reconstructive methods on functional and esthetic outcomes in patients with mandibular Squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods: Sixty-four patients with a mean age of (50±14.2) years were treated by segmental resection and immediate reconstruction. Chi-Square test or Fisher’s exact, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to evaluate functional and esthetic outcomes.
Results: The defects' site had no significant difference with oral competence, speech, deglutition, and facial appearance, except with oral feeding and mastication (P=0.005). There was no statistical significance in functional and esthetic outcomes between the reconstructive methods.
Conclusion: Among the studied predictor factors, only the defect site affects oral feeding and mastication with more proportion of good to excellent results in lateral mandibular defect ‘L’ type vs. poor to fair in other types.