Volume 10 Issue 1 (January-February, 2024)

Original Articles

Assessment of effects of removable dental prostheses and aging on blood flow in the palatal mucosa
Dr. Venkata Saiteja Mungara, Dr. Ankur Jain, Dr. Brijesh Byrappa, Dr. Santosh Kumar Muradi, Dr. Ravi Prakash Ulchala, Dr. Furkan Ahmed Khan

Background:The effects of wearing removable dentures and aging on palatal mucosa blood flow can vary person to person. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of removable dental prostheses and aging on blood flow in the palatal mucosa. Materials & Methods:90 subjects of both genderswere divided into 2 groups of 45 each. Group I included young, healthy dentulous subjects and group IIincluded elderly edentulous subjects. For group I, measurements were taken in a single session; for group II, the measurements were taken in two sessions: The first just before the prosthetic load (E1) and again 1 week after new dentures were provider (E2).Blood flow was measured with an LDF Perfusion Monitor. In group II, recordings were obtained on the palatal mucosa at three different anatomical sites: The retro incisive papilla (RPI), the medial raphe (MR), and the Schroeder area (SA). Results: A significant difference between the two groups at the three measured areas. Young dentulous participants had PU values showing much less blood flow compared to edentulous participants (P < 0.05). This finding remains significant when the analysis includes the effects of gender and smoking. The mean E1 measurements in partial and total edentulous subjects requiring removable dental prostheses at RPI was 205.2 and 213.2, at MR was 184.6 and 134.0 and at SA was 142.5 and 184.6 respectively. The difference was non- significant (P> 0.05). The mean E1 measurements in partial and total edentulous subjects carrying removable dental prostheses at RPI was 164.2 and 193.2, at MR was 157.6 and 302.8 and at SA was 191.5 and 314.6 respectively. The difference was non- significant (P> 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two sets of measurements at the three sites (P> 0.05). Conclusion: In comparison, wearing removable dental prosthesis does not alter the blood flow of the palatal mucosa after a week, but the aging process dramatically alters it.

 
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