• Clark, Jonathan R.
• Charters, Emma
• Luo, Aaron
• Aung, Y. M.
• Lewin, Will
• Dunn, Masako
• Cheng, Kai

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Purpose</jats:title><jats:p>Jaw-stretching devices, including the Amplification, Resistance, and Kinetics of the Jaw (ARK-JSD), are an effective option for treating trismus after head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment. The force, however, that is applied to the patient’s jaw is unknown.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods</jats:title><jats:p>Ten ARK-JSD devices were constructed for each of the levels of resistance (total of 30 samples). Each sample was tested using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM).</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results</jats:title><jats:p>The easy, medium, and hard ARK-JSD had a mean maximum force of 12.3, 21.0, and 32.7 Newtons (N) at a mean interincisal distance (IID) of 8.0 mm, 13.0 mm, and 16.0 mm, respectively. The force varied by 6.9 N for the easy and 24.1 N for the hard ARK-JSD. Fatigue analysis demonstrated up to 5.5 N loss of force over 10 weeks.</jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title><jats:p>The ARK-JSD is a low-cost trismus device that can force between 12.3 and 32.7 N. The variation in resistance may impact efficacy. Understanding this variation will assist clinicians and patients using the ARK-JSD for trismus therapy.</jats:p></jats:sec>

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• fatigue
• size-exclusion chromatography