Treatment of chronic periodontitis and its impact on mastication

The aim of the present study is to assess the impact of conventional periodontal treatment of chronic periodontitis on the perception of mastication.

The patients (n = 28; age range: 23 to 56 years, mean age: 37.9 years) were evaluated on two occasions (before and after treatment) with a 45-day interval using the Oral Impact on Daily Performance questionnaire. An electromyography system was used for the determination of activity in muscles of mastication and bite force. Masticatory performance was assessed using a test material. The median particle size of the masticated material was determined using a sieve method and the Rosin-Rammler equation. The clinical criteria were the number of teeth and probing depth, both determined by a single calibrated observer masked to the treatment phase. The data were analyzed in the pretreatment and post-treatment periods using Wilcoxon test; Spearman correlation coefficient; and two multiple linear regression models (backward stepwise procedure).

There was a significant negative correlation between the number of teeth (number of mastication units) and difficulty eating (P <0.05) before and after treatment. Probing depth had a positive relationship with the total Oral Impact on Daily Performance score before treatment (P <0.01).

The subjective perception of the impact of oral health on mastication diminished after periodontal treatment. The number of teeth had considerable importance in the perception of impact on mastication in the sample studied.