Abstract
This study was performed to evaluate the subjective and objective functional outcomes
of patients who had undergone submandibular gland-sparing neck dissection. All data
were obtained from patients treated in a single hospital. Seventy-seven patients who
had undergone complete submandibular gland sparing (CSGS) were included in the study.
Cancer prognosis items were recorded. The subjective outcomes included patient self-evaluation
of mouth dryness and the evaluation of the presence of saliva secretion following
the application of digital pressure. Saliva scintigraphy served as the objective test.
Self-reported xerostomia was compared between the CSGS patients and a control group
of patients who had undergone unilateral submandibular gland removal (USGR; n = 74). In the CSGS group, local recurrence occurred in 3.8% of the 80 cancer sites,
and neck recurrence occurred in 5.9% of neck dissection sites. Regarding the subjective
measurements, 7.0% of the CSGS patients reported xerostomia and 91.9% demonstrated
saliva secretion by digital pressure. Scintigraphy revealed actively secreting glands,
with 42.9% of them showing normal gland function; none of the patients had severe
xerostomia. The relative risk of dry mouth was significantly higher in the USGR patients
than in the CSGS patients (P < 0.001). Submandibular gland sparing during neck dissection was found to result
in satisfactory saliva secretion, with a relatively small risk of local or neck recurrence.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 12, 2022
Accepted:
November 25,
2022
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofIdentification
Copyright
© 2022 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
