Influence of mandibular reconstruction on patients' health-related quality of life

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the influence of different types of mandibular reconstruction on health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) of nonrecurrence patients.

Patients and methods: We recruited 252 patients who underwent mandibular reconstruction between 1994 and 2007 for this cross-sectional study. They were classified into groups based on reconstruction technique: free bone graft (FBG) group, particulate bone cancellous marrow graft (PBCMG) group, reconstruction plate (RP) group, and microvascular free flap group. The University of Washington Head and Neck Quality of Life Questionnaire and 5 supplemental domains regarding the donor sites were used to evaluate and compare HR-QoL among the groups.

Results: The outcomes of the University of Washington Head and Neck Quality of Life Questionnaire differed significantly among the groups (P < .0001). The results of the additional donor site domains also differed greatly among the groups (P < .0001). Appearance, chewing, activity, appearance-donor site, and function-donor site were the domains that were most frequently chosen by the patients as the most important issues. Most of the patients rated their HR-QoL as somewhat better compared with their experience the month before they underwent reconstruction. The HR-QoL and overall quality of life (QoL) during the past 7 days were rated as very good in the FBG group and PBCMG group and good in the RP group and microvascular free flap group.

Conclusions: HR-QoL of patients in the FBG and PBCMG groups did not differ significantly with regard to any of the domains, and these 2 groups consistently had the highest mean scores. Both groups differed significantly from the RP group, which tended to report the lowest mean scores for the domains.