Influence of Experimental Palatal Plate on Gustatory Response

Psychological Factor

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the cause of taste disorders of denture wearers. In this study, the following experiments were performed using fifty subjects of intact dentition and without taste disorders.
After producing the experimental palatal plate, the gustatory responses of primary taste shown by the threshold of judgment were examined with the gustatory test using filter-paper disc. The gustatory test was performed in the following three steps: without the plate, just after insertion of the plate and two weeks after insertion of the plate. The change of the threshold of judgment on the tongue and the soft palate was examined. A questionnaire on the sense of incongruity for the plate was taken. The results were as follows:
1. All fifty subjects felt incongruity to the plate just after insertion, but two weeks later, only nine subjects (18%) felt incongruity.
2. Just after the plate was inserted, the threshold of judgment became higher than that without the plate.
3. In two weeks after insertion of the plate, the threshold of judgment recovered almost to the condition before the inserting the plate.
The results suggested that the change of somaesthetic information by wearing the hard palatal plate would give rise to a psychological contrast of taste.