Cox S C, Walker D M
Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 1997 Feb;35(1):40-2. doi: 10.1016/s0266-4356(97)90007-3.
The maximal mouth opening of 700 healthy Nepalese adults, age range of 18-68 years, measured by paraclinical workers was determined as there are no data available for an Asian population. The mean value of the inter-incisal distance was 47.1 mm (range 33.7-60.4 mm) and 98% of the population surveyed fell within this range. The minimum limit of normal oral opening was determined to be 34 mm. Ten out of 13 patients with histologically confirmed oral submucous fibrosis (OSF) had a maximal oral opening of less than 34 mm. It was concluded that reduced oral opening measured by paraclinical workers as a single screening test for oral submucous fibrosis, has a sensitivity of only 77% and will detect only advanced cases. However, each of the 3 subjects from the healthy population found to have restricted mandibular opening and who agreed to be examined further had significant oral conditions, namely oral submucous fibrosis (2) and pericoronitis (1). The study confirms the value of this measurement as a screening procedure for significant oral disease by paraclinical staff particularly in developing countries where trained dental and medical personnel are scarce. Because of its limited sensitivity, measurement of mouth opening is unsatisfactory as a single screening test for OSF, as it will not detect early stages of the disease.
由于缺乏亚洲人群的数据，由辅助临床工作人员对700名年龄在18至68岁之间的尼泊尔健康成年人进行了最大开口度测量。切牙间距离的平均值为47.1毫米（范围为33.7至60.4毫米），98%的受调查人群在此范围内。正常开口度的最小限度被确定为34毫米。13例经组织学确诊为口腔黏膜下纤维化（OSF）的患者中，有10例最大开口度小于34毫米。得出的结论是，辅助临床工作人员测量的开口度降低作为口腔黏膜下纤维化的单一筛查试验，敏感性仅为77%，只能检测到晚期病例。然而，在健康人群中发现的3例下颌开口受限且同意进一步检查的受试者，每人都有明显的口腔疾病，即口腔黏膜下纤维化（2例）和冠周炎（1例）。该研究证实了这一测量作为辅助临床工作人员对重大口腔疾病筛查程序的价值，特别是在缺乏训练有素的牙科和医疗人员的发展中国家。由于其敏感性有限，开口度测量作为OSF的单一筛查试验并不理想，因为它无法检测到疾病的早期阶段。
