title: Changes of blood flow in the mucosa underlying a mandibular denture following pressure assumed as a result of light clenching.
abstract: The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the continuous compression assumed as a result of light clenching on the blood flow of the denture underlying mucosa in tissue-supported or tooth-tissue-supported denture wearers. Measurements were carried out on eight removable partial denture wearers (three males and five females, from 50 to 72 years, mean age: 61.5 years). The blood flow in the denture underlying mucosa was measured at the unilateral mandibular first molar region using an experimental denture base equipped with a laser Doppler flowmeter. The area of the experimental denture base was 2 cm2, and the loading force was 1 kgf. The loading time was set at 5, 10, 20, 30 and 60 s. The blood flow after 20 s loading was <15% in rest. The times from release of loading to the maximum blood flow and from release of loading to recovery up to 110% of the blood flow at pre-loading were significantly prolonged by an increase in the loading time. Even if it is light, a continuous clenching results in ischaemia and delays the recovery of blood flow in the mucosa underlying the denture after release of compression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Complete Denture Prosthodontics, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba city, Chiba, Japan. hakazawa@tdc.ac.jp
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akazawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakurai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003799:Dental Stress Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000098:blood supply; D008875:Middle Aged; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply*; D009119:Muscle Contraction; D011312:Pressure; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013997:Time Factors