Avaliação da eficácia do uso de intervenção prévia à reabilitação de usuários de próteses totais durante longos períodos Rita

Abstract

The edentulism and the use of inadequate, unstable and with teeth worn complete dentures because long period of usage can lead to an disharmony of the stomatognathic system due to gradual loss of occlusion vertical dimension resulting in inadequate mandibular movements. The reline of the denture base and the use of occlusal splint prior to the new rehabilitation could have influence on these functional aspects. This study was divided into two articles. Initially, the purpose was to conduct a systematic review of the literature to evaluate the avaiable scientific evidence related to occlusal splint before the new rehabilitation of edentulous patients. Furthermore, it was assessed by a randomized clinical trial if the use of occlusal splint and the reline of the denture base, before replacing them, have influence on the extent of mandibular movements and re-establish the occlusion vertical dimension. Seven databases were used in the first article: MedLine (PubMed), ISI Web of Science, Scopus, Scielo, Lilacs, Ibecs and the Cochrane Library. Only clinical studies in humans and unlimited year of publication were selected. From all databases were identified 1653 studies potentially relevant. After removal of duplicates and review of titles and abstracts, 1647 studies were excluded, 6 were completelly evaluated and only 4 articles were inclued in the review. For clinical trial, 30 volunteers, totally edentulous and complete denture wearers were allocated into 3 groups (n=10): Control group that not received any intervention prior to replacement of dentures; Group Reline in which the volunteers had the dentures bases relined; and Group Occlusal Splint in which the voluntters used this device prior to the replacement of old complete dentures. First, the systematic literature review showed that although the scientific evidence level found was weak, it was possible to identify benefits of the use of occlusal splints prior to the new rehabilitation of long-term complete denture wearers with regard to reductions in pain symptomatology and improvement of the muscular tonus. However, regarding the extent of mandibular movements and intra-articular space, this evidence is not clear. Moreover, the clinical study showed that the use of occlusal splint as previous treatment prior to the rehabilitation of long-term complete denture wearers was effective since this intervention re-established the extent of mandibular movement and the occlusion vertical dimension.