Necessity of prosthetic treatment of second molars for unilateral molar free end defects from the viewpoint of mastication predominance

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19096
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57050:Prosthodontics-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Oki Kyosuke 九州大学, 大学病院, 助教 (10803463)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 偏咀嚼 / 補綴装置 / 片側臼歯部欠損 / 第二大臼歯

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Persistence of excessive mastication predominance is considered to be one of the factors of tooth fracture and jaw dysfunction. It was found that the patients with unilateral molar defects have mastication predominance more frequently than healthy subjects, and that prosthetic treatment for the patients with unilateral molar defects improves masticatory deviation.However, evidence of the necessity of prosthetic treatment to the second molar is lacking. Therefore, the present study focused on the effect of occlusal support up to the second molar on mastication predominance in the patients with unilateral molar free edge defects. The data of 45 subjects with unilateral molar defects who had undergone prosthetic treatment as well as those who had lost occlusal support of the second molar on only one side were compared, suggesting that there may be the tendency to be influenced more by the habitual mastication side than by differences in the number of occlusal supports.

Free Research Field

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Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

咀嚼とは、食塊形成を行い、嚥下への前段階の重要な行為の1つである。補綴治療により、咬合接触を回復すると、食物粉砕能率が向上するとわかっている。現在咀嚼機能検査が保険診療に収載されたが、咀嚼機能全体の一側面を評価する試験にすぎない。補綴装置の機能検査として、嚥下までの一連の咀嚼機能を評価する必要がある。インプラント治療を行う上で、第二大臼歯までの咬合支持の回復を行うべきか、患者のみならず術者も悩ましいところである。そこで、偏咀嚼の評価を行い、第二大臼歯までの咬合支持の有無がどれほど差があるのかというデータは、治療方針を決める上で重要な結果と考えられる。