Increase of salivary flow rate along with improved occlusal force after the replacement of complete dentures.
OBJECTIVE
We hypothesized that improvement of occlusal force would cause an increase in salivary flow rate (SFR) even in elderly complete denture wearers. The purpose of this study was to examine the change of SFR after the replacement of complete dentures.


METHODS
Subjects were 22 edentulous outpatients of the Osaka University Dental Clinic. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected for 5 minutes. Stimulated whole saliva was collected for 2 minutes. The maximal occlusal force was measured with pressure-sensitive sheets. All measurements were done before and after replacement of the dentures.


RESULTS
The replacement of complete dentures improved maximal occlusal force and increased their stimulated and unstimulated SFR. Stimulated SFR was positively correlated with unstimulated SFR both before and after the replacement. Maximal occlusal force, stimulated SFR, and unstimulated SFR after the replacement were significantly correlated to the measurements before the replacement.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that proper prosthetic treatment can increase not only maximal occlusal force but also salivary flow rate.
Matsuda
Ken-Ichi
K
Division of Oromaxillofacial Regeneration, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan.
Ikebe
Kazunori
K
Ogawa
Taiji
T
Kagawa
Ryosuke
R
Maeda
Yoshinobu
Y
D001732:Bite Force; D003779:Denture Design; D003826:Denture, Complete, Lower; D003827:Denture, Complete, Upper; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible; D008437:Maxilla; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017755:Prosthesis Fitting; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism; D012472:Salivation; D012636:Secretory Rate