Mastication improvement after partial implant-supported prosthesis use

Partially edentulous patients may be rehabilitated by the placement of removable dental prostheses, implant-supported removable dental prostheses, or partial implant fixed dental prostheses. However, it is unclear the impact of each prosthesis type over the masticatory aspects, which represents the objective of this paired clinical trial. Twelve patients sequentially received and used each of these 3 prosthesis types for 2 months, after which maximum bite force was assessed by a strain sensor and food comminution index was determined with the sieving method. Masseter and temporal muscle thicknesses during rest and maximal clenching were also evaluated by ultrasonography. Each maxillary arch received a new complete denture that was used throughout the study. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance for repeated measures, followed by the Tukey test (p < .05). Maximum bite force and food comminution index increased (p < .0001) after implant-supported dental prosthesis and implant fixed dental prosthesis use, with the higher improvement found after the latter's use. Regardless of implant-retained prosthesis type, masseter muscle thickness during maximal clenching also increased (p < .05) after implant insertion. Partial implant-supported prostheses significantly improved masseter muscle thickness and mastication, and the magnitude of this effect was related to prosthesis type.