title: Evaluation method of saliva and oral cavity mucous membrane in the aspect of holding a denture on an atrophic base.
abstract: The paper presents application of the authors' own method of investigating the secretion and elasticity of saliva as well as resilience of mucous membrane in evaluation of force holding the lower denture in the base. The object of research is a complete mucus lower denture cooperating with the base with a tooth-caving that is on the decline. Results of the tests of a horizontal force knocking the denture off the base were assumed as objective effectiveness evaluation criteria. Clinical investigation has been carried out in a group of 126 patients using diagnostic devices constructed according to the authors' own conception. The elasticity of saliva was determined by measuring the length up to the break point where saliva loses elasticity, the sample volume being 55.26 mm3. The amount of saliva was determined on the basis of the area on which saliva remains and that is created by pressing the saliva with a force of 140 N by means of a 0.22 mm thick circular filter paper with a diameter of 8 mm. The filtering paper had earlier been put for 30 seconds on a mucous membrane in the area of molars. The resilience was determined on the basis of the penetrator's cavity dented by a force of 1 N into the mucous membrane. Results obtained during the examination of a group of patients enabled an unambiguous numerical description of the characteristic features of oral cavity environment. A statistically significant influence of all investigated factors on the force necessary to knock the denture off the base has been determined. A significance hierarchy of the factors investigated as well as the ranges of variability in the parameters measured have been defined. The resilience of the mucous membrane has affected the denture knocking off force the most. It had a value of 0.4 mm up to 2.1 mm during an impact of a pointwise pressure of an average value of 0.99 mm. Then, the influence of the amount of the secreted saliva has been observed. The amount of the saliva gathered on the filter paper was expressed in terms of a "flood" area obtained after pressing the paper and amounted to 180 mm2 up to 660 mm2, with the average of 468.75 mm2. The least important factor was the elasticity determined by the break length of a saliva sample. The lengths of breakpoints measured were from 4.8 mm for saliva with a dominant serum secretion content up to 24.1 mm for saliva with a dominant mucus secretion content. The average value for the whole population examined was estimated at 14.19 mm.
authors.affiliation: Research Group for Medical Engineering, Silesian Technical University, 40-019 Katowice, ul Krasińskiego 8, Poland.
authors.forename: Wiesław
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chladek
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lipski
authors.forename: Jacek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kasperski
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001284:Atrophy; D003781:Denture Retention; D003826:Denture, Complete, Lower; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009055:Mouth / Q000502:physiology*; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000502:physiology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012472:Salivation / Q000502:physiology*; D013500:Surface Tension