Effect of occlusal support by implant prostheses on brain function

The present study was carried out to identify how gum chewing with and without occlusal support by implant prostheses affects brain function as well as chewing function. Twenty-four subjects rehabilitated with implant-supported fixed prostheses were evaluated. An electroencephalograph (EEG) (ESA-Pro) and mandibular kinesiograph (Bio PAK®) wear used to measure brain function and chewing function, respectively, before and after gum chewing with and without an implant superstructure. Based on brain function estimated by the Dα values derived from measurement data, the subjects were divided into the normal region group (including the sub-normal region group) (n=15; Dα≥0.952) and the impaired region group (n=9; Dα0.05). However, brain function in the impaired region group showed significant improvement after gum chewing (p