Background: Surface electromyography (SEMG) has been widely used in the recent years to study swallowing physiology, offering a valid and reliable tool for identifying normal swallowing. The goal of our study was to assess the contribution of denture fitness in the age-related increase of swallowing duration.
Methods: Twenty denture wearers and 20 dentate individuals were analysed using SEMG and a computerised kinesiography of mandibular movement. Three spontaneous saliva swallowings were recorded for each patient with both their old and new prostheses. Three spontaneous saliva swallowings were recorded for each dentate person in two different recording sessions.
Results: Old prosthesis mean swallowing time was 1.84 (SD ± 0.85) seconds while the new well-fitting prostheses needed a 1.28 (SD ± 0.55) (p = 0.0009) swallowing time. The difference in swallowing time was significant (p = 0.01) between dentate subjects and individuals wearing an old prosthesis. No significant difference was found between dentate subjects and the same prosthesis wearers when a new well-fitting prosthesis was worn.
Conclusion: Data presented in this work suggest that part of the increased duration of swallowing showed by elderly and healthy people is because of incorrect an dental prosthesis. Prolongation of swallowing duration in the elderly population could be reconsidered in the light of the quality of dental device worn by the aged population.
© 2011 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.