Kinesiographic study of mandibular movements during functional adaptation to complete dentures

After complete denture insertion, edentulous patients usually present transitory difficulties. This is one of the most critical stages of prosthetic treatment and it is strongly related to the prostheses acceptance. The aim of this study was to evaluate potential changes in the mandibular movement pattern related to insertion of the complete denture during the functional adaptation period. The kinesiograph instrument K6-I (Myotronics Research Inc., Seattle, WA) was used to evaluate eight edentulous patients that received conventional complete denture treatment. Recordings of opening and closure movement limits, movement velocity, postural rest position, chewing cycle and limits of eccentric movements were performed. Each patient was evaluated in four different stages: with the old dentures, immediately after insertion of the new dentures, and 30 days and 6 months after insertion of the dentures. The results showed that there were no remarkable changes in the mandibular motion patterns after insertion of the new dentures. It was suggested that the problems related to the process of utilization of new dentures are not strictly associated to the mandibular movement. Therefore, functional adaptation after denture insertion is not directly related to functional changes, but to the quality of the dentures and to individual features.