[Reactions of the oral mucosa to mechanical load stimuli from dentures]

The oral mucosa is the primary medium bearing removable dentures. Problems of adaptation and incompatibility of denture bases borne by mucosal tissues first of all arise at the mucosa covering the palate and the alveolar ridges. Depending on its functional qualities, the denture bearing mucosa more or less fulfills the task of buffering chewing forces acting on the denture base and distributing them on the bone surface. Studies on physiological and morphological reactions of the denture bearing tissues resulting from mechanical stresses show that the mucosa is entirely capable of tolerating short-term pressures during chewing. In this connection the increase in the thickness of the denture bearing mucosa must be considered as a physiological response to mechanical load.