Abstract
The purpose of this clinical study was to show that videofluorography (VF) is a useful tool for diagnosis of mastication and swallowing. A series of modifications of a VF system allowed a relaxed posture for the patient and easy orientation of the patient's head under the condition of low-level X-ray exposure. Visual analyses using this system were effective, especially in denture prosthetic treatment, as follows:
1. The habitual retracted tongue position during mastication was a cause of lower complete denture instability.
2. A palatal reshaping prosthesis improved the disphagia that bothered a patient after partial excision of the tongue and mandible due to oral floor cancer.
3. Distal extention of the denture base to the space left after a segmental mandible resection could improve mastication and swallowing.
4. The potential risk of aspiration pneumonia in an elderly patient who had a cerebral infarction history and who wore new complete dentures.
5. A patient's strong demand to masticate food by himself after total glossectomy and mandibulectomy was satisfied by a prosthesis as a substitute for the tongue and teeth.
The results suggested that VF imaging analysis was available to evaluate masticatory function in denture wearers.
