Changes in masticatory laterality 3 months after treatment with unilateral implant‐supported fixed partial prosthesis

Abstract

Objective This study assessed changes in masticatory laterality in patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth 3 months after treatment with an implant‐supported fixed partial prosthesis (ISFPP). Methods Thirty patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth participated in this prospective study. They were treated with one‐, two‐ or three‐unit ISFPPs. The control group comprised 10 healthy individuals with complete natural dentition. Each participant performed masticatory assays at baseline and at 3‐month follow‐up, chewing pieces of silicon inside a latex bag. Masticatory laterality was determined using three different methods: assessment of the first chewing cycle, of all cycles and application of a visual analogue scale. Data were compared using the Kruskal‐Wallis or the Mann‐Whitney U test as appropriate. Results Three months after treatment, a significant change in the asymmetry index towards the treated side and a significant reduction in the Unilateral Chewing Index were observed in the ISFPP group. No significant differences in masticatory laterality between groups were detected at 3‐month follow‐up, regardless of the method assessed. Conclusion Treatment with ISFPPs alters the masticatory laterality, moving it to the treated side and increasing the degree of bilateral chewing in patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth.

Effect of side switch frequency on masticatory performance and rhythm in adults with natural dentition: A randomised crossover trial

“…The first pattern involved five trials of freestyle mastication in which the participant was asked to chew the latex bag naturally, without imposing a side preference. For the second and third patterns, of five trials each, subjects were asked to chew the bagged silicon unilaterally, using only the right‐hand side in one pattern and only the left‐hand side in the other, alternating the order of trials between right and left sides 12,14 . In the last three patterns, they performed 15 trials of 20 cycles each (patterns A1, A3 and A5) in one of the following six sequences (Figure 1).…”

Relationship between Unilateral Posterior Crossbite and Human Static Body Posture

“…However, subjects with crossbite have showed alterations in both contact glide distances and masticatory cycle morphology [37,38]. Masticatory pattern and masticatory laterality are important aspects of masticatory function that are influenced by multiple central or peripheral factors [24][25][26]39,40]. UPCB may be one such factor, but to date, treatment for UPCB has not been shown to alter the masticatory cycle shape [37] or preferred chewing side [5].…”

“…A single researcher performed all tests of laterality, as follows: hand (observing that used to stir liquid in a glass), foot (observing that used to stamp on paper placed on the floor), ear (observing that used to listen through a hole) and eye (observing that used to look into a dark bottle) [24]. Finally, masticatory laterality was quantitatively assessed by asymmetry index (AI), using a 10 cm VAS (visual analogue scale) between the left end equivalent to 'chewing always left' (−1), and the right end as 'chewing always right' (+1), with 'no preference' (0) in the middle [25,26]. The reliability of these tests was reported high previously [25].…”

Reference value of masticatory performance by measuring the amount of glucose extraction from chewing gummy jelly

“…The sieve method has long been used to measure MP; however, this method has significant limitations, in that the operation is complicated, and the analysis is lengthy. Therefore, many methods using impression material [1], color-changing gum [2,3], paraffin wax [4], fuchsin beads [5], and gummy jelly [2,3,[6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21] have been reported. Of these, measuring the amount of glucose extraction (AGE) from chewing gummy jelly was the most advantageous.…”