Abstract
We previously studied the effect of peripheral sensory information from sensory periodontal ligament receptors on prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity. In the dental field, an alternative dental implant without periodontal sensation can be applied for missing teeth. In this study, we examine whether periodontal tactile input could increase cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the PFC against elderly patients with dental implants lacking periodontal tactile (implant group), elderly individuals with natural teeth (elderly group), and young individuals with natural teeth (young group). The experimental task of maintaining occlusal force as closed-loop stimulation was performed. Compared with the young group, the elderly group showed significantly lower CBF. Contrastingly, compared with the young group, the implant group showed significantly lower CBF. There were no significant differences between the elderly and implant groups. Regarding the mean occlusal force value, compared with the young group and the elderly group, the implant group had a numerically, but not significantly, larger occlusal force exceeding the directed range. In conclusion, the periodontal tactile input does not uniquely increase PFC activity. However, increased CBF in the PFC due to the periodontal tactile input in the posterior region requires existing attention behavior function in the PFC.
Highlights
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is located in the anterior cerebral cortex and plays an important role in executive control, including complex cognitive behavioral planning, decision making, and social behaviors [1,2,3]
It is difficult to examine the effect of peripheral sensory information on PFC activity with separation of somatosensory movement and sensation to determine the relationship between their presence or absence and PFC activity
We previously studied the effect of peripheral sensory information from sensory periodontal ligament receptors on PFC activity [9,10]
Summary
The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is located in the anterior cerebral cortex and plays an important role in executive control, including complex cognitive behavioral planning, decision making, and social behaviors [1,2,3]. Considering the increasing elderly population, cognitive decline and dementia have become major worldwide problems [4]; the importance of sensory information for PFC activity has been highlighted. Regarding periodontal tactile sensation, several epidemiological studies have reported a relationship between tooth loss (loss of occlusal support) and cognitive decline/dementia [5,6,7]. There is interest regarding the effect of periodontal tactile sensation on PFC activity and the underlying mechanisms. It is difficult to examine the effect of peripheral sensory information on PFC activity with separation of somatosensory movement and sensation to determine the relationship between their presence or absence and PFC activity. We previously studied the effect of peripheral sensory information from sensory periodontal ligament receptors on PFC activity [9,10]
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