A STUDY ON THE SATISFIED DEGREE OF ORAL FUNCTION IN GERIATIRIC PATIENTS WITH THE SHORTENED DENTAL ARCH

단치궁 노인의 구강 기능 만족도에 관한 연구

The purpose of the present study is to inspect the satisfied degree of each oral function in geriatric patients with the shortened dental arch and when their prosthetic treatment is on schedule, provide some references to such treatment. For the approach to such study, 521 subjects were reviewed by grouping them according to the number of their remaining teeth, and masticatory function, phonetic function, facial change, and TMJ disorders were inspected and clarified through some questionnaires. Also through the questionnaires, the correlations between the geriatiric patients with the shortened dental arch and dentition and between the geriatiric patients with the Free-end RDP at the shortened dental arch and their oral function were found out with their satisfied degree of oral function. Results or findings from such study are as follows : 1. With regard to their satisfied degree of oral function, there was a significant difference of satisfaction between or among the group having only the anterior teeth and the group having the part of premolars and the group having even the part of molars, however no significant difference of satisfaction appeard between the group having 1st molars and the group having 2nd molars. 2. With regard to their satisfied degree of phonetic function, no significant difference appeared between or among the group having only the anterior part of teeth and the group having even the part of premolars and the group having even the part of molars, and with regard to their satisfied degree of facial change, no significant difference of satisfaction appeared between the group having the part of premolars and the group having even the part of molars. 3. With regard to their satisfied degree of masticatory function, phonetic function, TMJ disorders, and facial change, no significant difference appeared between the group having both the anterior part of teeth and the part of premolars and the group attached with the Free-end RPD on the same conditions of the afore-said group.