Oral tactile sensibility recorded in overdenture wearers with implants or natural roots: a comparative study. Part 2.

The capacity of dentate subjects to discriminate the thickness of objects placed between the teeth seems to depend on receptors in the periodontal ligament and muscles. The compensatory mechanism of ankylotic implants for the function of missing periodontal ligaments is not yet known. To investigate this question in overdenture wearers, 26 patients with ITI implants and 20 patients with natural roots were selected. According to the experimental protocol, the discriminatory ability was recorded with 10 steel foils (thickness ranging from 10 to 100 microns) placed between the premolars. Each thickness was tested 10 times and the test subjects were required to distinguish whether foil was positioned between the teeth. A maximum of 100 correct or 100 incorrect answers was possible. The average number of incorrect answers was significantly higher in test subjects with implants. The 50% limit (ie, the tested thickness recorded with at least 5 wrong answers) was established, but no statistically significant difference was found. In both groups, the critical tactile threshold of perceived thickness was 30 to 40 microns, with 2 being the average number of incorrect assessments. When comparing the minimal thickness, which was recorded without incorrect assessment, a significantly lower threshold was observed on patients with natural roots. Thus, active tactile sensibility appears to depend on the receptors in the periodontal ligament. However, wearing of removable prostheses is a modifying factor and may influence the oral tactile sensibility for both groups.