Mandibular movements and bite force in Alzheimer's disease before and after new denture insertion

Abstract

Chewing impairment has been observed in elders with Alzheimer's disease (AD); however, it is unknown whether oral rehabilitation can improve their masticatory function. This study evaluated the influence of new removable prostheses on chewing function of patients with AD. Participants using removable dentures were divided into two groups: patients with mild AD (77·2 ± 5·8 years, n = 16) and controls (76·0 ± 4·4, n = 16). All participants received general dental treatment and new total and/or partial removable prostheses. After 2 months of adaptation to the new dentures, chewing was evaluated by the following parameters: masticatory cycle time (CT), cycle velocity (CV), and opening (OA) and closing mandibular angles (CA), registered by a kinesiographic device. Maximum bite force (MBF) was assessed using a strain sensor. Evaluations were performed at baseline and after insertion of the new prostheses. A mixed model (α = 5%) was used for within- and between-subject analyses. After insertion of new prostheses, CT was reduced, and CV and MBF were increased in both groups (P < 0·05). There were no changes in OA or CA (P > 0·05). Compared to controls, elders with AD showed higher CT and reduced MBF and CV both at baseline and after insertion of new prostheses (P < 0·05). However, OA and CA did not differ between groups (P > 0·05). Insertion of new removable prostheses improved masticatory function in elders with and without AD, but patients with mild AD still had reduced chewing parameters compared to controls.

Association between chronic periodontitis and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease: a retrospective, population-based, matched-cohort study

“…This finding may be explained by differences between urban and rural lifestyles, availability of medical resources and convenience of medical access [ 3 , 40 ]. Patients with AD also exhibit impairments in chewing function due to progressive neurodegeneration, increasing the risk of periodontal problems [ 41 , 42 ]. Hence, proper dental care and oral rehabilitation are necessary to improve masticatory function in this patient population.…”

Satisfaction Level among Patients Treated with Fixed Dental Prosthesis in a Tertiary Care Hospital: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

“…7 However, many researchers found that the level of patients' satisfaction exceeded that of their dentists. [8][9][10][11][12] This finding may be due to differences in the criteria used for evaluation by the clinician and the patient. The clinicians' evaluation mainly focuses on the technical characteristics of the prosthesis, while the patients' evaluations in based on subjective criteria like appearance, function and comfort of the prosthesis.…”

Evaluation of satisfaction perceived by prosthetic patients compared to clinical and technical variables

“…In fact, there is no difference between the patients who possess the upper rather than the lower prosthesis nor between those who possess both. This result, although it is in contrast with part of the literature, can be explained by the results obtained by Campos et al .,[ 27 ] which show that adaptation to mandibular complete dentures is dependent on patients’ clinical conditions, subjective acceptance, and compliance. All the results discussed so far establish that prosthetic quality is a key element in determining clear and lasting satisfaction over time.…”