Objective Evaluation of Masticatory Ability and Movement of Perioral Soft Tissue Before and After a Case of Implant Prosthesis

Patients: The patient was a 61-year-old male. He was treated with a fixed partial denture (FPD) supported by implants in the maxilla and in the right mandible. Using a motion-capture system, we measured masticatory ability and maximum occlusal force along wint the perioral soft tissue movement. The measurements were done before, after, and two years after implantation. For the control group, 11 adults with individual normal dentitions were analyzed. Discussion: In this case, the values of masticatory ability and maximum occlusal force were recovered to some extent compared with the preoperative state, but not to the same extent as from the control group. Two years after implantation, these values were restored to compare equally to the control group. Asymmetric movement of the perioral soft tissue, which had been observed in the preoperative state, was decreasing in the postoperative state. Conclusion: These results suggest that an improvement of masticatory ability may coordinate facial soft tissue movements. Evaluation of the masticatory functions may be possible by these observations.