Swallowing threshold parameters of subjects with shortened dental arches.

Item does not contain fulltextOBJECTIVES: To quantify swallowing threshold parameters of subjects with a moderate shortened dental arch dentition (SDA: missing molar teeth, but premolar teeth in occluding position and uninterrupted anterior regions) compared to subjects with a complete dental arch dentition (CDA). METHODS: Fourteen females with SDA (3-4 occlusal premolar units) and 14 females with CDA were instructed to chew silicone test 'food' (cubic particles with a total volume of 3 cm(3)). They spit it out the moment they felt the urge to swallow and the pulverized particles were collected. Swallowing threshold parameters were number of chewing cycles, time until 'swallowing', and median particle size of the pulverized particles as determined by sieving the food. Chewing tests were performed twice and outcomes were averaged. RESULTS: The number of chewing cycles until 'swallowing' of subjects with SDA was approximately 1.7 times (p<0.005) that of the controls and this took approximately 1.6 times more time (p