Original Articles
Relationship between Morphological Characteristics of Experimental Palatal Augmentation Prosthesis and Tongue Pressure：A Preliminary Study
2019 Volume 33 Issue 4 Pages 471-481
Details
2019 Volume 33 Issue 4 Pages 471-481
Palatal augmentation prostheses（PAP）have been used for dysphagia caused by decreased lingual function. However, the shape of the PAP usually depends on the dentist, and the details of PAP shape are still unknown. In this preliminary study, the authors tried to clarify the basic three-dimensional shape of the PAP using homologous modeling and the relationship between the PAP shape and tongue pressure during swallowing, which is considered to be important for determining the configuration.
An experimental occlusal splint（＋10 mm bite height）was delivered to eleven healthy dentate volunteers（mean age 26.7±8.4）to elevate their occlusal vertical dimension, then their PAP was fabricated following clinical procedures. The tongue pressure of six of the volunteers（mean age 28.8±20.2）wearing the splint and PAP was measured. PAPs were digitized, and homologous models were fabricated. Principal component analysis was used for three-dimensional analysis, and the relationship between the PAP shape and tongue pressure was analyzed by Pearsonʼs correlation coefficient.
As a result, the following parts contributed to the three-dimensional PAP shape：height of palate, thickness of midline region, bulge of anterior part, overall thickness and bulge of lateral part. It was suggested that the overall PAP shape depends on these shapes. Additionally, the tongue pressure had a strong negative correlation with bulge of anterior and lateral part of the PAP, suggesting that it might be important to adjust the bulge of the anterior and lateral parts to adjust the PAP.
The results of this preliminary study suggested that homologous modeling of the basic three-dimensional shape of the PAP might assist clinical procedures of PAPs in dysphagia rehabilitation. It is also suggested that the shapes of the anterior and lateral parts of the PAP have significant relationships with tongue pressure during swallowing.
