Amplitude and speed of masticatory movements in total laryngectomy patients

Introdution: Laryngectomy is a surgical procedure that aims to remove the hyoid bone and the larynx and its muscles; it is inferred that a destabilization of the hyoid-mandibular axis will occur, consequently changing chewing. Objective: To characterize the amplitude and speed of chewing in laryngectomies and to compare them with two groups of non-laryngectomized individuals differentiated by age. Method: 72 volunteers were divided into three groups: (A) 32 volunteers, mean age 22.3 years, 17 females; (B) 20 volunteers, mean age 53.2 years, 10 females, and (C) 20 volunteers who underwent total laryngectomy, mean age 61.5 years, one female. Electrognathography, a method that tracks and measures millimeter jaw movements, was used for evaluation. Results: Significant diferences were observed between groups A and C in masticatory amplitude and speed. Conlcusion: Age, and adaptive and compensatory changes appear to explain chewing better than factors related to total laryngectomy.