Biomaterial Database

Indicators of masticatory performance among elderly complete denture wearers. 1996

M Demers, and J Bourdages, and J M Brodeur, and M Benigeri

Faculty of Dentistry, Laval University, Que., Canada.

The literature on current techniques for evaluating the masticatory capacity leads to categorizing them into two groups: objective masticatory tests and questionnaires that evaluate the subject masticatory capacity. This study examines how a simple questionnaire on the reported capacity to chew certain food can predict the masticatory performance of edentulous elderly patients. The masticatory performance of 367 completely edentulous elderly persons was measured with the Swallowing Threshold Test Index and compared with their reported masticatory capacity previously measured with a questionnaire on the capacity of the individual to chew nine food items. A total of 47.4% of the individuals had a low masticatory performance. This problem was more frequent in women (51.7%) than in men (41.8%). In measuring the reported masticatory performance with seven of the nine food items listed in the questionnaire, this indicator predicted the masticatory performance with a sensitivity of 65.5% and a specificity of 81.9%. However, even though the measure of prosthesis retention/stability is related to the masticatory performance, it was not a good predictor.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008409	Mastication	The act and process of chewing and grinding food in the mouth.	Chewing
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009066	Mouth, Edentulous	Total lack of teeth through disease or extraction.	Mouth, Toothless,Edentulous Mouth,Edentulous Mouths,Toothless Mouth
D009754	Nuts	Botanically, a type of single-seeded fruit in which the pericarp enclosing the seed is a hard woody shell. In common usage the term is used loosely for any hard, oil-rich kernel. Of those commonly eaten, only hazel, filbert, and chestnut are strictly nuts. Walnuts, pecans, almonds, and coconuts are really drupes. Brazil nuts, pistachios, macadamias, and cashews are really seeds with a hard shell derived from the testa rather than the pericarp.	Nut
D010316	Particle Size	Relating to the size of solids.	Particle Sizes,Size, Particle,Sizes, Particle
D011795	Surveys and Questionnaires	Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions.	Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D003679	Deglutition	The act of taking solids and liquids into the GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT through the mouth and throat.	Swallowing,Deglutitions,Swallowings
D003781	Denture Retention	The retention of a denture in place by design, device, or adhesion.	Denture Stability,Retention, Denture,Stability, Denture
D003824	Denture, Complete	A denture replacing all natural teeth and associated structures in both the maxilla and mandible.	Complete Denture,Complete Dentures,Dentures, Complete