The Use of the Test for Oral Muscular Coordination Ability to Increase the Level of Adaptive Capacity of Oral Cavity Organs to Prosthodontic Treatment of Patients with Completely Absent Dentition

Abstract

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.