Importance of Osseoperception and Tactile Sensibility during Masticatory Function in Different Prosthetic Rehabilitations: A Review

Background and Objectives: Tactile sensibility is an important characteristic for evaluating the masticatory efficiency in different occlusal situations. When a tooth is extracted, relevant proprioceptors from the periodontal ligament get lost; and after the rehabilitation of this abscess by means of oral prosthesis, this sensibility decreases influencing masticatory function. Osseoperception is a sensitive phenomenon associated with dental implants that allows an increased tactile sensibility to those wearing implant prostheses. The purpose of this study was to determine the difference in tactile sensibility values between implant prosthesis, complete dentures, and natural teeth through a review of the available literature. Materials and Methods. In order to dissect the information, 24 articles from 2004 to 2021 were analyzed from MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and Web of Science databases. These articles were directly related to measuring tactile sensibility in different situations and demonstrating the influence of osseoperception in an improved masticatory function. Results: Tactile sensibility in implant prosthesis is slightly reduced compared with natural dentition but presents improved values with regard to complete dentures. Conclusions: Implant prosthesis are more effective during masticatory function than complete dentures, as they present an increased tactile sensibility, very similar to that present in natural dentition. This enhanced sensibility in implants is due to the osseoperception phenomenon.

Hopeless tooth and less posterior occlusion is related to a greater risk of low handgrip strength: A population-based cross-sectional study

The effect of severely compromised teeth on masticatory function has not been properly evaluated in previous studies, as they were often considered equivalent to the healthy tooth or excluded as if absent in the dentition. Hopeless teeth, which refer to non-salvageable teeth that require extraction, can interfere with masticatory function. As posterior occlusion is directly related to the masticatory function, we evaluated pairs opposing posterior teeth (POPs) that reflect the arrangement as well as the number of remaining posterior teeth. This study investigated the relationship of a hopeless tooth to handgrip strength according to POPs in the elderly. This cross-sectional study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Among the data of 23,466 participants from 2015 to 2018, participants aged 60 years or older (n = 4,729) were included. In males with POPs scores of 0–7, considered poor posterior occlusion, the association with low handgrip strength persisted in the multivariate logistic regression model adjusted for all confounding variables. The odds ratio (OR) in the absence of hopeless teeth (OR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.02–3.59) increased in the presence of a hopeless tooth (OR = 2.78, 95% CI: 1.42–5.47). Even with POPs scores of 8–11, considered good posterior occlusion, the association was significantly high in the presence of a hopeless tooth (OR = 2.82, 95% CI: 1.06–7.52). In females, the association disappeared in adjusted models. The fewer pairs of natural posterior teeth with occlusion, the greater the risk of low handgrip strength. Dentition containing hopeless teeth increases the risk of low handgrip strength, even in dentition with sufficient posterior occlusion. Preserving the posterior teeth in a healthy condition through personal oral hygiene and regular dental management is essential for maintaining components of physical function such as handgrip strength.

Functional tooth units and masticatory ability in elderly population

Introduction: The elders are the ones that most often experience tooth loss which affects masticatory function. Masticatory function can be evaluated subjectively through masticatory ability assessment. The masticatory function is influenced by the number of posterior occluding pairs; this also may be called as functional tooth units (FTUs). The purpose of this study was to describe FTUs and masticatory ability in the elderly. Methods: This research was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional study design. Subjects were taken by purposive sampling technique. The study was conducted in the Lebakgede Sub-district, Bandung City. Data mentioned were obtained by conducting interviews regarding data on subject characteristics and questionnaires of masticatory ability, as well as examining the oral cavity to obtain FTUs data. Results: Subjects obtained were 74 people consisting of 63 women (85.14%) and 11 men (14.86%). Based on the results, the average age of the research subjects was 68.49 years, and those with good masticatory ability status were 26 elderly (35.14%) with an average FTU value of 5.9 while 48 elderly (64.86%) had poor masticatory ability status with an average FTU score of 1.5, even 31 subjects (41.89%) had a zero FTU score. Conclusion: The majority of the elderly in this research mostly had a low total FTUs score which means that the masticatory ability status in the elderly tended to be poor.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Effect of Oral Exercises on Masticatory Function

The aim of the current systematic review was to summarize and to evaluate the available information on the effectiveness of oral exercise in improving the masticatory function of people ≥18 y. Electronic databases (Medline, Embase, CENTRAL) and gray literatures were searched (up to December 2020) for relevant randomized and nonrandomized controlled clinical trials. Two reviewers independently conducted the study selection, data extraction, and quality assessments. Meta-analysis was conducted for the comparison of bite force and masticatory performance using mean difference (MD) and standardized mean difference (SMD), respectively. GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) assessment was adopted for collective grading of the overall body of evidence. Of the 1,576 records identified, 18 studies (21 articles) were included in the analysis. Results of meta-analysis indicated that oral exercise could significantly improve the mean bite force of the participants (parallel comparison: MD, 41.2; 95% CI, 11.6–70.7, P = 0.006; longitudinal comparison: MD, 126.5; 95% CI, 105.2–144.9, P < 0.001). However, the improvement in masticatory performance was not significant (parallel comparison: SMD, 0.11; 95% CI, –0.20 to 0.42, P = 0.48; longitudinal comparison: SMD, 0.4; 95% CI, –0.11 to 0.91, P = 0.13). Results of meta-regression showed that greater improvements in bite force can be achieved among younger adults and with more intensive exercise. Chewing exercise is the most effective oral exercise, followed by clenching exercise, while simple oral exercise may not have a significant effect. Based on the results of the meta-analysis and GRADE assessment, a weak recommendation for people with declined masticatory function to practice oral exercise is made.

Patient-reported outcome measures for masticatory function in adults: a systematic review

Objective The aim of this systematic review was to critically evaluate the Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for masticatory function in adults. Methods Five electronic databases (Medline, Embase, Web of Science Core Collection, CINAHL Plus and APA PsycINFO) were searched up to March 2021. Studies reporting development or validation of PROMs for masticatory function on adults were identified. Methodological quality of the included studies was evaluated using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) risk of bias checklist. Psychometric properties of the PROM in each included study were rated against the criteria for good measurement properties based on the COSMIN guideline. Results Twenty-three studies investigating 19 PROMs were included. Methodological qualities of these studies were diverse. Four types of PROMs were identified: questions using food items to assess masticatory function (13 PROMs), questions on chewing problems (3 PROMs), questions using both food items and chewing problems (2 PROMs) and a global question (1 PROM). Only a few of these PROMs, namely chewing function questionnaire-Chinese, Croatian or Albanian, food intake questionnaire-Japanese, new food intake questionnaire-Japanese, screening for masticatory disorders in older adults and perceived difficulty of chewing-Tanzania demonstrated high or moderate level of evidence in several psychometric properties. Conclusions Currently, there is no PROM for masticatory function in adults with high-level evidence for all psychometric properties. There are variations in the psychometric properties among the different reported PROMs. Trial Registration PROSPERO (CRD42020171591).