Effects of complete dentures on respiratory performance: spirometric evaluation

Area of Science:

• Pulmonary Medicine
• Prosthodontics
• Respiratory Physiology

Background:

• Spirometric measurements are crucial for assessing respiratory health.
• The impact of complete dentures on spirometry in edentulous patients remains under-investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the influence of complete dentures on key spirometric parameters in edentulous subjects.
• To determine optimal conditions for spirometry in patients wearing dentures.

Main Methods:

• 46 complete denture wearers underwent spirometry in four oral conditions: without dentures, with complete dentures, with lower denture only, and with upper denture only.
• Evaluated parameters included Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Peak Expiratory Flow, Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1), and Forced Expiratory Flow between 25% and 75% (FEF25-75).
• Statistical analysis employed Friedman, Wilcoxon, and paired-samples t tests.

Main Results:

• Significant differences (p < 0.05) in spirometric parameters were observed across the different oral conditions.
• The most significant differences were noted between the without dentures (WOD) condition and the with lower denture condition for FVC (p < 0.001).
• Significant differences were also found between WOD and the with upper denture condition for FEV1 (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Complete dentures appear to negatively impact spirometric values in edentulous individuals.
• Further validation with advanced respiratory function tests is recommended to confirm these findings.
• Consideration of denture status during spirometry may be necessary for accurate respiratory assessment.