The influence of oral implant-supported prostheses on articulation and myofunction.

The aim of the present research was to assess articulation and myofunction in patients wearing fixed or removable prostheses supported by oral implants. 164 edentulous patients with implant supported prostheses were divided in four subgroups, dependent on their dental status, and compared to control groups of forty five subjects having a natural dentition. More than fifteen articulatory and myofunctional parameters were evaluated. The results showed that subjects with prostheses on implants tend to have more articulation problems than controls. Especially patients with a complete fixed prosthesis on implants in the upper jaw seemed to experience problems pronouncing /s/ and /z/. There also seemed to be influences of age and hearing factors.