Comparison between the subjective and objective assessments of chewing ability in mandibular implant-retained overdenture patients

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the subjective and objective assessments of chewing ability in mandibular implant-retained overdenture patients. Thirty-eight participants (mean ages: 69.2±8.3 years) were evaluated their chewing function 3 times: 1 month after implant placement, 1 month after the insertion of a mandibular implant-retained overdenture and 3 months after the insertion of a mandibular implant-retained overdenture. Subjective chewing ability was evaluated using a developed questionnaire consisting of 14 common food types. Objective chewing ability was assessed by a wax cube analysis method. The results showed that, at 3 months after the insertion of mandibular implant-retained overdenture, the outcome of the subjective assessment of chewing ability positively relate to the outcome of the objective assessment of chewing ability.