The effect of chewing efficiency on intestinal function in elderly patients

Introduction.The oral cavity is the initial section of the gastrointestinal tract, and effective chewing is important for the normal functioning of gastrointestinal organs and metabolism. Therefore, it is of interest to study how impaired chewing function affects the clinical course of constipation syndrome.Aim.To study the effect of restoring the integrity of the dentition through dental orthopedic rehabilitation on the clinical course of constipation syndrome.Materials and methods.The study included 72 patients aged 61–73 years who suffered from dentition defects of varying extent and intestinal dysfunction in the form of bradyenteria of varying severity. Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on the type of dental prostheses used for their orthopedic rehabilitation: fixed dental prostheses for partial tooth loss; semi-removable prosthetic constructions on dental implants for complete tooth loss; removable acrylic dentures for complete tooth loss.The severity of constipation syndrome was assessed based on anamnestic data before and 1.5–2 months after completion of dental prosthetics. The degree of restoration of chewing efficiency was assessed using a static research method.Results.It was found that despite the use of various types of dental prostheses (fixed and removable) and restoration of chewing efficiency in elderly patients from 30.0 to 85.0%, dental orthopedic rehabilitation did not lead to positive changes in the severity of bradyenteria. Obviously, such patients need special treatment by an internist in addition to restoration of the dentition with dentures to eliminate constipation syndrome.Conclusion.Loss of natural teeth and their replacement with various types of dentures do not affect the severity of constipation syndrome. Therefore, comprehensive treatment of constipation syndrome requires the involvement of a gastroenterologist.