Prevalence of Trismus and Its Impact on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Treated for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Published in: Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP 2021-08, Vol.22 (8), p.2437-2444
• Main Authors: Gondivkar, Shailesh M, Gadbail, Amol R, Sarode, Sachin C, Dasgupta, Subhrajit, Sharma, Balkrishna, Hedaoo, Amol, Sharma, Aparna, Sarode, Gargi S, Yuwanati, Monal, Gondivkar, Rima S, Patil, Shankargouda, Gaikwad, Rahul N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1513-7368; 2476-762X
• DOI: 10.31557/APJCP.2021.22.8.2437

Oral squamous cell carcinoma, one of the most common malignancies, has a poor prognosis due to impairment in oral functions secondary to treatment. Trismus one of the major causes of impairment of oral function. The present study investigated the prevalence of trismus and its impact on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients treated for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The maximum inter-incisal mouth opening of hundred OSCC patients was recorded at post-treatment and 3 months post-treatment. OHRQoL questionnaire (OHIP-14) was intervened to assess the OHRQoL of patients post-treatment and 3 months follow-up, with emphasis on correlation with grades of trismus. The prevalence of trismus was 16% pre-treatment, 72% post-treatment, and 62% at 3 months after treatment. The overall OHIP-14 scores indicated that patients with trismus reported greater impairment of OHRQoL than those without trismus at the end of treatment and 3 months follow-up. At the end of treatment, patients with severe trismus demonstrated a higher mean OHIP-14 score (23.47 ±3.34) than those with moderate (17.72 ±2.83) and mild trismus (12.66 ±3.84) with statistically significant differences (p