Evaluation of Chewing Time for Wearers of Distal Extension Removable Partial Dentures

Background: The restoration of mastication is an element of the therapeutic success of the removable prosthesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chewing time of subjects wearing a metallic removable partial denture (MRPD) restoring a distal extension edentulism. Materials and methods: This is a descriptive pilot study carried out after a review of patient records. Subjects were asked to chew test foods, carrots and peanuts. Chewing was to continue until they perceived that the bowl was fit to be swallowed. All sequences were videotaped and data on the duration of the chewing sequence of the test foods was recorded on an Excel® spreadsheet. Data analysis was performed using SPSS® version 23 software with a 5% risk of error. Results: Out of a sample of 17 MRPD wearers, 12 subjects had a toothless Kennedy class I and 5 subjects had a Kennedy class II edentulism condition with 9 females (53%) and 8 males (47%). Subjects between 46 and 65 years of age were in the majority with a percentage of 59%. After chewing the sampled bowls, Kennedy class I edentulous subjects had an average chewing time of 93.24 seconds ± 31.93 for peanuts and 109.18 seconds ± 53.35 for cores. The respective averages of the class II edentulism subjects were 127.53 seconds ± 62.84 and 128.95 seconds ± 73.35 for peanuts and carrots respectively. Conclusion: This study reveals that peanut chewing is easier and the subjects with MPD restoring a class I edentulism performed less time than those with class II edentulism, a fact related to the presence of changes in class II edentulism. Statistically, no significant correlation was found between carrots or peanuts chewing and type of distal extension MRPD wearers.