Abstract
Verify the correlation between two scar assessment scales and the presence of orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMD) in patients with head and neck (H&N) burns. Participants of this study were 16 adult individuals with H&N full-thickness burns. Data were collected through assessment of mandibular range of movement and application of the following instruments: Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS), Vancouver Scar Scale, and Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores (OMES). Results showed moderate negative correlation between the variables deglutition, breathing, total score of the functions, total score on the OMES and scores on the scar assessment scales, indicating that the higher (more severe) the scores on these scales, the lower the scores on the items of the OMES (indicative of greater OMD severity). No correlations were observed between the items of the OMES and the POSAS Patient scale. Results suggest that there is correlation between scar severity in burn patients, measured through clinical scales, and presence of OMD. Patients who present scores indicative of H&N pathological scars should be immediately referred to orofacial myofunctional assessment.
Highlights
Burns are acute injuries affecting the skin or other organ tissues
Considering that physicians are the professionals responsible for the referral of burn patients to orofacial myofunctional rehabilitation, this study aimed to verify the correlation between two scar assessment scales commonly used by physicians and the presence of orofacial myofunctional disorders (OMD) in patients with head and neck (H&N) burns
These results corroborate the data found in the literature, which show that contracture caused by hypertrophic scars have a negative impact on the orofacial myofunctional system[14,15,22]
Summary
Burns are acute injuries affecting the skin or other organ tissues. It is caused by external agents (thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive) that fully or partially destroy the epithelial tissue[1]. The World Health Organization (WHO)(3) considers burns a global public health issue, as it accounts for 180,000 deaths/year. In Brazil, the incidence rate of burns varies considerably in the literature, and normally refers to data from a single burn injury care center [Centro de Tratamento de Queimaduras – CTQ](4) Data from the Ministry of Health show that burns account for 2,000 deaths/year in Brazil, and the country’s Unified Health System (SUS) spends approximately BRL 55 million a year in the treatment of these patients[5]
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