RE MOUTH ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS OF COGNITIVE DISORDERS?-IN SEARCH OF NEUROPATHOLOGIC ASSOCIATIONS-

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Denture wearing is considered to improve chewing ability, chewing comfort, and quality of life(QOL) in elderly individuals. In order to clarify the effects of denture treatment on activation of the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in higher cognitive functions, we investigated the efficacy of wearing a denture prosthesis from the aspects of cognitive and jaw functions, and related prefrontal cortex activity. Partially edentulous patients were enlisted as subjects. Functional near infrared spectroscopy(f-NIRS) was used to detect changes of cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex area, while cognitive functions were examined using questionnaires(SF36 v2, OHIP-J, and MMSE : Mini-mental state examination), with jaw muscle EMG and motions activities simultaneously investigated. Masticatory scores were also used to evaluate subjective awareness and consciousness of chewing ability. Statistical comparisons were performed between data obtained while wearing and not wearing a denture prosthesis. Significant increases were seen in chewing-related jaw functions, including jaw motion, jaw muscle EMG, and prefrontal cortex activity, while masticatory scores were also significantly improved by wearing a partial denture prosthesis as compared with the non-wearing condition. Prefrontal cortex activity caused by a wearing denture prosthesis was significantly related to masticatory score and masticatory EMG activities. During the process of denture treatment, the scores of dental and physical QOL, and MMSE showed improving trends as compared to the pre-therapeutic conditions. Based on our findings, we consider that dental treatment with a denture prosthesis may help to improve not only masticatory jaw functions, but also cognitive ability, as shown by prefrontal cortex activation and cognitive scores for oral and physical QOL.