Influence of Complete Denture Adjustment to Brain Activity

Objectives: Denture function is important to brain activity for complete denture wearers without periodontal ligament. When the complete denture function is reduced by long-term use, deterioration of denture tooth function may affect brain function. This study evaluated the influence of the denture adjustment on brain activity to complete denture wearers. Methods: The subjects were 10 complete denture wearers (4 males and 6 females, aged 67-85, Mean: 77.0) with a chief complaint of reduction of denture function. The denture function (occlusal contact area and occlusal force) was evaluated before and after denture adjustment using a Dental Prescale Occluzer@ (GC, Japan). Brain activity was evaluated before and after denture adjustment using electroencephalogram (EEG) and DIMENSION (Diagnosis Method of Neural Dysfunction) analyzing program. The duration of the measurement was 3 minutes before and after denture adjustment. The results were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum test (p < 0.05). Results: The occlusal contact area before denture adjustment was 5.1mm2 (SD:4.1). The occlusal contact area after denture adjustment was 7.9mm2 (SD:4.7). The occlusal force before denture adjustment was 223.6N (SD:135.9). The occlusal force after denture adjustment was 370.8N (SD:184.8) The both results showed significant difference between before and after adjustment (P<0.05). After denture adjustment, the activation of brain function was noted in 7 of the 10 subjects (p < 0.05). 5 subjects who were in the sub-normal/impaired category before denture adjustment exhibited significant brain function activation after adjustment (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In this study, improvements in denture function were observed after denture adjustment in complete denture wearers. Accordingly, it is revealed that brain activity is enhanced by the improvements in complete denture function.