Nutritional status of patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancies.

A nutritional assessment battery consisting of the patient's history, anthropometric measurements, and laboratory tests was used to characterize the nutritional status of 127 patients with oral and maxillofacial malignancies. Forty-three percent of these patients had good nutrition, 21% fair, and 36% poor. The pattern of nutritional impairment was a protein-calorie deficiency. A close correlation with malnutrition was found for diminished oral intake and tumor stage. Gender, tobacco or alcohol consumption, job, and living place were not related to nutritional status.