抄録
At our department, the relation between the stomatognathic system and the systemic condition has been studied from various angles using a gravity fluctuation analysis system, an equilibrium function test, and electronystagmography. We have reported that changes and abnormalities in the stomatognathic system disturb the equilibrium function and also affect the maintenance of the upright posture and nystagmus. In future studies on this relationship, we will try to determine how a stomatognathic disorder affects the auditory pathway and brainstem using the auditory brainstem response (ABR), which is an early component of the auditory evoked response used for neurological testing in the clinical practice of otorhinolaryngology and other fields.
The effect of each occlusal abnormality was investigated in these studies, but not observed in detail for several days after removal of the occlusal interference, although such observation did seem to be necessary.
Accordingly, the author introduced experimental occlusal interference onto the first molar of the mandibular main mastication side in 14 normal subjects and, using ABR, examined mainly the condition of recovery for several days after removal of occlusal interference. As a result, it was noted that the peak latency and the right-left difference of ABR were prolonged by interference, and that the peak latencies of waves I and III had almost completely recovered 1 week and 48 hours after removal, respectively. It was inferred from the prolongation tendency of the peak latency of wave I and the right-left difference of ABR due to interference that abnormalities in the stomatognathic system, such as occlusal interference, affect not only the stomatognathic system, but the auditory pathway as well. It was shown that this prolongation almost completely disappeared 1 week after removal of the occlusal interference. These results indicate that normalization of the stomatognathic system also contributes to the recovery of auditory system.
