Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine effects of a denture adhesive on masticatory functions for complete denture wearers considering the condition of denture-bearing tissues. Sixteen edentulous subjects wearing well-fitting complete dentures volunteered to participate in this study. According to the condition of denture-bearing tissues, subjects were divided into two groups; "good group" and "poor group". Maximum biting forces, masticatory performance, and electromyography of the masseter muscle during mastication were recorded with and without a denture adhesive. Durations of chewing burst and cycle, and coefficients of variation for these variables were calculated using electromyography recordings. Data were analyzed by using two-way repeated-measured ANOVA and paired t-test in order to assess the effect of the use of a denture adhesive. The use of the denture adhesive increased maximum biting force and provided rhythmic masseter muscle activity during mastication for both groups. Masticatory performance was improved and duration of chewing burst was decreased only for "poor group". It was concluded that the effects of the denture adhesive on masticatory functions were observed overall for both groups, and more significant for denture wearers with poor denture-bearing tissues than with good denture-bearing tisuues.
