The role of the anatomy of oral cavity in pharyngeal airway maintenance

2011 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21659445
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Prosthetic dentistry
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: MAEDA Yoshinobu 大阪大学, 大学院・歯学研究科, 教授 (10144510)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): AZUMA Takashi 京都大学, 再生医科学研究所, 研究員 (40378899) ; YAGI Kazutomo 大阪大学, 歯学部附属病院, 医員 (60456952)
• Project Period (FY): 2009 – 2011
• Keywords: 口腔 / 咽頭 / 義歯装着者 / MRI / 鼻呼吸

Research Abstract

We investigated pharyngeal cross-sectional dimensions during nasal breathing in six denture wearers with magnetic resonance imaging both with and without upper and lower dentures present. Significant increases in the velopharyngeal cross-sectional area were observed when dentures were present compared to the measurements taken when dentures were not worn. Our finding suggests that rehabilitation of the anatomy of the oral cavity contributes to pharyngeal airway maintenance during nasal breathing in denture wearers.