Effect of New Dentures on Interocclusal Distance During Speech

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the changes in interocclusal distance during the pronunciation of /m/ and /s/ sounds in the Portuguese language, in partially edentulous patients before and after insertion of new dentures. Materials and Methods: Subjects were divided into a control group consisting of 18 completely dentate patients and an experimental group consisting of 18 patients who were edentulous in the maxilla and classified as Kennedy Class I in the mandible. The experimental group had new dentures placed and the occlusal vertical dimension corrected. A magnetic jaw-tracking device measured the interocclusal distance during pronunciation of the /m/ and /s/ phonemes. Interocclusal distance evaluations were carried out in a single session for the control group. In the experimental group, the measurements were carried out before insertion of new dentures; immediately after insertion; and after 6 and 24 hours; 2 days; 1 and 2 weeks; 1, 2, 3, and 6 months; and 1 year. Results: Comparison between groups revealed significant difference in interocclusal distance for the /m/ sound both before and after insertion of dentures up to 2 months. For the /s/ phoneme, there was no difference between the groups before prosthesis insertion, or after 3, 6, and 12 months of prosthesis use. There were significant differences for the /m/ sound only at 6 and 12 months after new denture insertion, and for the /s/ sound at all periods evaluated. Conclusion: Insertion of new dentures, with the vertical dimension corrected, changes the interocclusal distance of speech during phonation of /m/ and /s/ sounds.