Removable dentures and electrical activity of masticatory muscles in individuals with Parkinson’s disease

Purpose: to assess the influence of dentures on the electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Methods: an analytical, quantitative, cross-sectional study conducted at a public teaching hospital in 2017, assessing the stage of the disease, non-denture (ND) wearing, upper removable partial denture wearing (DW1), upper and lower removable partial denture wearing (DW2), and upper complete denture + lower removable partial denture wearing (DW3). The Student-Newman-Keuls test was used to compare the maximum voluntary muscle contraction between sides and between the denture wearing and non-denture wearing groups. Significance was set at α<0.05. Results: after applying the eligibility criteria, 41 patient records were included in the sample. The association between the stage of the disease and denture wearing showed predominance of DW2 in stage 1 (43%). A significant difference was found in the masseter muscle analysis between the non-denture wearing group and DW2 and DW3 (p=0.0018). As for the anterior temporalis muscle, there was a significant difference (p=0.0034) in three of the analysis groups (ND vs. DW2, ND vs. DW3, and DW1 vs. DW3). Conclusion: denture wearing has a negative impact on the electrical activity of masticatory muscles when compared with individuals who do not wear dentures and have natural teeth.