実験用口蓋床の被覆部位の違いが味覚しきい値に及ぼす影響

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the causes of taste disorders of denture wearers. Ten subjects who had intact dentition and no taste disorders were investigated. Four kinds of experimental palatal plates were made after taking the subjects' impressions. They were “A plate”-covering anterior palatal region, “M plate”-covering middle region, “P plate”-covering posterior region, and “Basic plate”-covering the whole hard palate.First, the chewing method was used to examine the gustatory responses of bitter and salty stimuli according to the threshold of judgment. Then, chewing movements were measured and analyzed by Mandibular Kinesiograph through chewing a testing gumi-jelly and peanuts, both with and without the experimental palatal plates, respectively. As a result, the threshold of judgment of the gustatory response and the chewing time increased more in the “P plate” and the “Basic plate” than those in the “A plate” and the “M plate”.The results suggested that the experimental plates covering the whole and posterior regions of the hard palate have more influence on taste than those covering the anterior and middle regions.