Measures of Health-related Quality of Life in Huge Ameloblastoma Young Patients after Mandible Reconstruction with Free Fibula Flap

Abstract

Mandibular resection has been associated with a poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL), particularly in young patients with free fibula flap requiring defect reconstruction.¡¡The purpose of our study was to evaluate HRQOL of young patients who have had mandibular resections of huge ameloblastoma and free fibula flap reconstruction. The present study assessed 32 young patients who had undergone immediate mandible reconstruction with free fibula flap for huge ameloblastoma using the University of Washington Quality of Life (UW-QOL) Questionnaire and 49-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49). Thirty-two of the forty-seven questionnaires were returned (68.08%). Of the 12 disease-specific domains on the UW-QOL, the best 3 scores from the patients were for shoulder, pain and taste, and the worst 3 scores were for chewing, anxiety and mood. On the OHIP-49, the lowest-scoring domain was physical pain, followed by handicap and social disability. A significant effect was found on the HRQOL of young patients with huge ameloblastoma who had undergone immediate mandible reconstruction with free fibula