Mandible preservation with oral cavity carcinoma: rim mandibulectomy versus sagittal mandibulectomy.

Rim mandibulectomy, a mandibular-preserving procedure, has proven to be a successful method of treating squamous cell carcinoma with limited mandibular involvement. The operation involves resection of the occlusal rim of the mandible. Using strain gauge techniques, we investigated how much bone should remain at the rim mandibulectomy site. Maintenance of a 1-cm-thick segment of bone inferiorly is required to reduce the risk of fracture formation. In comparing the relative strength of the different mandibular preservation techniques, the rim mandibulectomy was found to be more resistant to fracturing than was lingual sagittal mandibulectomy.