title: The Effect of Reading Aloud Exercises for Complete Denture Patients during the Functional Rehabilitation Period.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The focus of this study was to evaluate the effect of reading aloud on masticatory performance and patient satisfaction of patients rehabilitated with conventional complete dentures for the first time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-two edentulous patients who received conventional complete denture treatment for the first time were randomly divided into two equal groups. After insertion of the dentures, patients in group I were asked to read a news report three times per day for 4 weeks, while those in group II did not read. The reading duration increased by 5 minutes per week, from 5 minutes in the first week to 20 minutes in the fourth week. The patients' mouth opening during reading aloud was advised to gradually increase throughout the training project. Two and four weeks after insertion of the dentures, masticatory performance was assessed using the sieving method, and patient satisfaction was measured using a visual analogue scale, which combined the patient's perceptions in relation to comfort, esthetics, stability, ability to talk, and ability to chew.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant improvements in masticatory performance with reading aloud exercises after the insertion of complete dentures (p < 0.001) at the 2- and 4-week follow-up visits. Masticatory performance also showed significant improvement within each group in the follow-up periods (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between the two groups in patient satisfaction (p > 0.05) at 2 weeks, but at 4 weeks, patient satisfaction regarding stability, ability to talk, and ability to chew was significantly higher for group I (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study suggest that reading aloud exercises significantly improved early masticatory performance and patient satisfaction for denture wearers who were treated with conventional complete dentures for the first time, and may be a useful clinical application for more effective denture treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Lang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiu-Hua
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.|Department of Stomatology, Jieyang People's Hospital, Jieyang, China.
authors.forename: Jie-Yin
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Juan-Kun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Tao
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Ye
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003781:Denture Retention; D003824:Denture, Complete; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011932:Reading; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Complete dentures; masticatory performance; patient satisfaction; reading