Sinapsos Podcast | Oncology

E52   |  10 min   |   Latest   |  Publication Link

• Podcast based on: Pitchaimuthu, T.; Razif, M.Y.M.; Sidek, K.; Nabil, S. Effect of Jaw Exercise on Mouth Opening and Trismus in Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Radiotherapy: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Cancers 2026, 18, 3215. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18193215
  Type: Article  |  Publication date: 05 October 2026
  
  
• Summary: Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) are frequently exposed to various treatment-related complications, particularly those arising from radiotherapy or ablative surgery. Radiotherapy-induced trismus is one of the well-known complications. Despite advancements in radiotherapy technologies and techniques, trismus management remains inadequate. In this Randomised Controlled Trial, we investigated whether a structured wooden tongue depressor-assisted jaw exercise programme could improve mouth opening compared with basic jaw exercises in patients with head and neck cancer undergoing radiotherapy. We recruited and evaluated 38 patients using maximal mouth opening/maximal interincisal distance with a calliper and a questionnaire to assess mandibular impairment. Both groups showed small, non-significant changes in mouth opening across the follow-up period. Trismus was also significantly associated with greater mandibular functional impairment and patient-reported difficulty opening the mouth. These findings may support early jaw mobilisation during radiotherapy; however, the trial was limited by its small sample size, short-term follow-up, retrospective trial registration, and absence of a non-exercise control group. Larger, longer-term studies are needed to determine whether wooden tongue depressor provides additional benefit over basic jaw exercises alone.
  
  
• Keywords: head and neck cancer; radiotherapy-induced trismus; maximal mouth opening/maximal interincisal distance; mandibular functionality

License and disclaimer:
Original article © 2026 by the authors. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This episode is an AI-generated audio adaptation of the article: the script and the voices are synthetic, changes were made, and the adaptation is not endorsed by the authors, the journal, or the publisher. It may contain errors or omissions, so consult the original publication before relying on any detail. It is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. The creators accept no liability for any use of this content.