Sensory perception in overdenture patients.

The discussion of overdentures has been confined to their capacity to use abutment teeth to improve neuromuscular control of mandibular movement. Use of overdentures has been favored often because of their mechanical advantages, but seldom because of the sensory role of the retained abutment teeth. Even though the retained teeth may be periodontally diseased, they still may provide sufficient support for the transmission of masticatory pressures and sufficient periodontal ligament receptors to initiate a jaw opening reflex. Whereas conflicting evidence shows that the periodontal nerve receptors play a role in mandibular positional sensibility (proprioception), pressure perception by the periodontal ligament remains a primary stimulus for the jaw opening reflex. Additional investigations will be essential to a complete understanding of the role of the periodontal ligament receptors. However, recognition of the importance of the periodontal ligament receptors to the overdenture patient as a source of sensory input is vital.