Comparing masticatory performance between dentate individuals and removable denture wearers

Tooth loss replacement with dental prostheses aims to restore stomatognathic function, including masticatory performance. Masticatory performance is one of the factors that affect stomatognathic function and health in general. The aim of this study was to compare the masticatory performance of fully dentate subjects and removable denture wearers and determine which method is most suitable, whether using color-changeable chewing gum or gummy jelly. Subjects were classified into two groups: fully dentate (n=10) and removable denture groups (n=10). Masticatory performance was measured using color-changeable chewing gum with 30, 45 and 60 strokes and gummy jelly with 10, 20 and 30 strokes. A Mann-Whitney analysis was done to compare the masticatory performance of the fully dentate and removable denture groups. There was a significant difference (p<0.05) in masticatory performance between the two groups, both with chewing gum and gummy jelly. Spearman's correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the chewing gum and gummy jelly measurements. Statistically, a significant correlation (P<0.05) was found between the color-changeable chewing gum and gummy jelly. A removable denture does improve masticatory performance, but it is not able to fully restore masticatory performance comparable to dentate individuals. Color-changeable chewing gum and gummy jelly can differentiate masticatory performance in fully dentate and removable denture groups.