Duration of mastication and oral phase of swallowing in the elderly with different dental conditions: a clinical analysis

ABSTRACT Purpose: to measure the total time of mastication and oral phase of swallowing in healthy elderly people, considering different food consistency, the presence of natural teeth, and the type of prosthetic oral rehabilitation, as well to compare dental conditions and consistencies. Methods: a cross-sectional study with 57 healthy elderly people, aged between 60 and 82 years, divided into: dentate group (D) (n=15); and rehabilitated groups; PD: fixed or removable partial dentures in one or both arches (n=15); CRD: maxillary and mandibular complete removable dentures (n=15); ISCD: complete dentures - maxillary removable denture and mandibular implant-supported dentures (n=12). The duration time (seconds) of chewing and of the oral phase of swallowing was measured in the consistencies: solid (a roll slice), pudding (10 ml) and liquid (10 ml). Results: healthy dentate elderly subjects had the following intervals: liquid=1.07±0.35 s; pudding=3.48±1.76 s; and solid=27.88±7.11 s. Statistically significant differences were observed between the D and ISCD groups (p=0.0056) and between D and CRD (p=0.0056) for liquid. For all groups, there was a statistically significant increase between liquid and solid consistencies and between pasty and solid ones (p<0.001). Conclusions: the dentate elderly had shorter oral phase time of swallowing for liquids than the rehabilitated edentulous elderly, but not different from the elderly with partial dentures. Chewing and swallowing time for solid food was longer than that for the other consistencies, regardless of dental condition.