The relationship between occlusal support and physical exercise ability

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Gerontology
• Dental Prosthetics

Background:

• Edentulism, the loss of all natural teeth, affects masticatory function and potentially impacts overall physical capabilities.
• Occlusal support, provided by natural teeth or dentures, plays a vital role in stabilizing the jaw and facilitating proper biomechanics.
• The relationship between occlusal support and physical exercise performance in edentulous individuals remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of occlusal support on physical exercise performance in complete denture wearers.
• To quantify changes in reaction time, jump elevation, and force production with and without occlusal support.
• To determine if occlusal support influences physical quickness and exercise capacity.

Main Methods:

• Ten complete denture wearers participated in the study.
• Subjects performed vertical jumps on a force plate under two conditions: with and without their dentures (occlusal support).
• Key performance metrics analyzed included reaction time (latency), jump elevation time, and maximum kicking force.

Main Results:

• A significant prolongation of reaction time was observed when subjects lacked occlusal support.
• This indicates a decrease in physical quickness without dentures.
• Jump elevation time and maximum kicking force data also contributed to understanding the performance differences.

Conclusions:

• Loss of occlusal support negatively affects physical quickness in edentulous individuals.
• Reconstructing occlusal support is important for restoring not only masticatory function but also for maintaining physical exercise capacity.
• This highlights the broader health implications of dental prosthetics beyond oral function.