Thirty patients with completely edentulous jaws (the main group) and 30 patients without denture defects and treated oral cavity (the control group) were examined in order to study oral stereognosis. Standard H. Landt sets were used. The rate of tactile assessment of the objects shape in the oral cavity of the patients with completely edentulous jaws was established to decrease by 2.6 times on average in comparison with the control group, and the percentage of correctness of the sample determination decreased by 44.4%. After one month of prosthodontic treatment of the patients with completely edentulous jaws with the use of complete laminar dentures, the rate of tactile assessment of the objects' shape increased by 18.3% and the index of the correctness of the sample determination increased by 31.5%. The results of the oral stereognosis study showed that the duration of collecting and analysis of receptor signals of oral mucosa in the patients with completely edentulous jaws was longer than in the patients without denture defects. However, the tactile sensitivity of the oral mucosa had the ability to recover in one month after prosthodontic treatment with complete laminar dentures.

Increase in the level of adaptive capacity of oral cavity organs to the prosthodontic treatment of patients with completely absent dentition is one of the urgent problems of modern dentistry. In order to increase the level of adaptability to complete removable laminar dentures, a set of standard samples according to H. Landt was used to test the ability for precise coordination of masticatory muscles – the MA-test (Muscular-Ability) as a means of a group of muscles stimulation providing precise coordination of masticatory muscles. This adaptation process was called MA-stimulation. The level of adaptive capacity of the oral cavity organs was studied using oral stereognosis. The criteria for oral stereognosis assessment included the average time of one sample determination (sec) and the correctness of the samples determination (%). In order to achieve the objective, we conducted a study of tactile sensitivity in the oral cavity using oral stereognosis in 90 patients with completely absent dentition who applied for the prosthodontic retreatment. The patients’ age ranged from 45 to 89 years. The patients were divided into two groups. Group I included 30 patients who underwent the prosthodontic treatment without preliminary MA-stimulation. Group II included 60 patients who underwent MA-stimulation for 14 days before the prosthodontic treatment. According to the results of oral stereognosis in Group II of patients, the average time of one sample determination after fourteen days of MA-stimulation decreased by 24.5% (p˂0.05) and the index of correctness of the samples determination increased by 32.0% (р˂0.001); the average time of one sample determination decreased by another 19.3% in 1 month after the prosthodontic treatment, and it decreased by 17.4% (р˂0.05) in 3 months after the prosthodontic treatment; the index of the correctness of the samples determination increased by 17.5% (p˂0.001) and 10.5% (p˂0.01) respectively in 1 and 3 months after the prosthodontic treatment. Oral stereognosis indices changed significantly only in 1 month after the prosthodontic treatment in Group I of patients who did not undergo MA-stimulation: the average time of one sample determination decreased only by 14.7% (p˂0.05), and the index of correctness of the samples determination increased only by 24.5 (p˂0.05). According to the results of the research, MA-stimulation is advisable to be included into the prosthodontic treatment of the patients with completely absent dentition as a means of increasing the adaptive capacity of the oral organs.

A device for the formation of a prosthetic plane of the upper jaw check-bite in the course of the prosthodontic treatment of the patients with completely absent dentition was developed in order to improve the formation of the prosthetic plane during complete removable laminar dentures manufacturing. The objective was achieved by the fact that the bite plate of the device was made in the form of U-shaped supporting ruler with a fork-like extension on both sides and with a pocket in the central part. The bite plates for the frontal and chewing parts of the upper jaw check-bite were inserted into the pocket. The bite plates were made removable, the frontal plate was T-shaped, and the chewing one was fork-like with rounded forks. The device was additionally equipped with a movable ruler to record strict parallel alignment in relation to the Camper and inter-pupillary lines. The supporting ruler was equipped with two vertical columns of square shape with symmetric millimeter scales, along which the vertical movements of the movable ruler were conducted and its parallel alignment was recorded in relation to the supporting ruler. The movable ruler was additionally equipped with a leveling device fixed in its central part to position the patient’s head relative to the horizon line. The use of bite plates for the frontal and chewing parts of the upper jaw check-bite and the provision of structural elements in the form of the supporting and movable rulers with the possibility of moving the movable ruler on the vertical columns of the supporting ruler provide a fast, comfortable, precise and uniform formation of the prosthetic plane of the upper jaw check-bite parallel to the Camper and inter-pupillary lines in the prosthodontic treatment of the patients with completely absent dentition.

Резюме. Мета: вивчити можливість застосування набору стандартних взірців H. Landt для тесту на здатність до тонкої координації жувальної мускулатури – МА-тест (Muscular-Ability) з ціллю підвищення адаптаційних можливостей до повних знімних пластинкових протезів (ПЗПП). Даний процес адаптації ми назвали МА-стимуляція. Методи: електроміографія (показник сумарної амплітуди роботи musculus masseter та musculus temporalis (мкв)). Проведено дослідження у двох групах пацієнтів із повною відсутністю зубів. 1 група – 30 пацієнтів, яким ортопедичне лікування проводилося без попередньої МА-стимуляції. 2 група – 60 пацієнтів, яким перед ортопедичним лікуванням протягом 14 днів проводилася МА-стимуляція. Результати. У 2 групі показник у стані відносного фізіологічного спокою знизився на 23,5 %, через 1 місяць після ортопедичного лікування ще на 14,1 %, через 3 місяці – ще на 9,2 %; при максимальному стисненні щелеп відбулося зростання показника на 29,8 %, через 1 і 3 місяці зростання досягнуло відповідно 36,4 % і 44,7 %; при максимальному стисненні щелеп з ватними валиками відбулося зростання показника на 26,8 %, через 1 і 3 місяці зростання досягнуло відповідно 27,1 % і 42,2 %. У 1 групі показник у стані відносного фізіологічного спокою знизився через 1 місяць після ортопедичного лікування на 18,1 %, а через 3 місяці ще на 20,9 %; при максимальному стисненні щелеп зростання показника через 1 місяць не відбулося, а через 3 місяці зростання відбулося на 25,2 %; при максимальному стисненні щелеп з ватними валиками зростання відбулося тільки через 3 місяці після ортопедичного лікування на 25,1 %. Висновки. У пацієнтів з повною відсутністю зубів МА-стимуляція сприяє швидкому активному підвищенню адаптаційних процесів до використання ПЗПП.