抄録
Purpose: This study assessed the influence of cross-sectional shape of the margin, contour, and positioning of palatal connectors on oral sensation.
Methods: The study population comprised six healthy dentulous individuals with an average age of 26 years. Ten types of connectors were fabricated in the form of light-cured resin baseplates; four types had different cross-sectional shapes of the margins, two had different contours of the upper surface (i.e., the surface facing the oral cavity), and four varied in their placement position. The subjects’ feelings when the different types of connectors were placed in their oral cavities were assessed using a questionnaire. The results were analyzed and weighted using the sigma score method, which is a tool used in the field of psychology.
Results: The results suggested that the subjects experienced greater comfort with connectors having a knife-edge-shaped margin (P<0.05). Moreover, greater discomfort was reported with bilateral oblique positioning of the connector, while less discomfort was reported with bilateral symmetrical positioning (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: We suggest that to achieve maximum oral comfort, palatal connectors should be constructed such that their thickness gradually increases from the margin toward the top, and they should be placed in a bilaterally symmetrical position.
