Introduction: Edentulism is one of the debilitating states affecting a significant portion of the geriatric population. It is often considered as the ultimate marker for predicting the pressure and burden on oral health. Respiration is also a routine vital function running continuously through the human body and most commonly assessed by a spirometer. Hence, we planned the present study to assess the impact of complete dentures on the functioning of the respiratory system.
Materials and methods:In the present study, a spirometric assessment of the effect of complete dentures on respiratory performance was done. A total of 100 subjects were included, and diagnostic spirometer was used for carrying out the spirometric test at different stages of each subject. The spirometric test was carried out at four different stages: In the absence of both the denture (AODs), with both the dentures (maxillary and mandibular) inserted in the patient's mouth (BDs), with only maxillary denture inserted in the oral cavity (UDs), and finally, by inserting only the mandibular dentures in the oral cavity (LDs). Forced vital capacity (FVC), peak expiratory flow (PEF), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and forced expiratory flow between 25 and 75% (FEF 25-75 ) were evaluated. All the results were compiled and assessed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Clinical significance: Since subjects without complete dentures exhibited a maximum value of respiratory functional test, respiratory exercise protocols should also be carried in denturewearing edentulous patients for increasing the performance of the respiratory system.