Longitudinal changes in oral function following implant treatment in older adults: a prospective longitudinal study

Purpose Implant treatment has increasingly been selected as a treatment option for prosthetic rehabilitation in older adults with missing teeth. However, longitudinal changes in comprehensive oral function following implant treatment remain unclear. This study investigated these changes in older adults undergoing implant therapy. Methods Twenty-eight patients aged ≥ 65 years (mean age at baseline, 74.2 ± 6.0 years; 11 men and 17 women) who received implant-supported fixed prostheses for posterior tooth loss were included. Comprehensive oral function, including oral hygiene (tongue coating), oral dryness, occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, masticatory function, and swallowing function, was evaluated before provisional prosthesis placement (T0) and approximately 1 month (T1) and 6 months (T6) after definitive prosthesis placement. Longitudinal changes were analyzed in this exploratory study. Results Occlusal force and masticatory function improved significantly from T0 to T1 ( p < 0.05). From T1 to T6, masticatory function, tongue-lip motor function (/pa/, /ta/, and /ka/), and tongue coating improved significantly, and tongue pressure at T6 was significantly higher than at T0 ( p < 0.05). The number of participants with oral hypofunction was 10 (35.7%) at T0, 5 (17.9%) at T1, and 1 (3.6%) at T6 (Cochran’s Q test, p = 0.002), with a significant difference only between T0 and T6 (adjusted p = 0.001). Conclusions In older adults who received implant-supported fixed prostheses for posterior tooth loss, occlusal force and masticatory function improved early after definitive prosthesis placement, and some other oral function measures, including tongue-lip motor function and tongue pressure, were also improved at the 6-month follow-up compared with baseline. Because this was an exploratory study without a control group, these changes cannot be attributed solely to implant treatment. Clinical trial number Not applicable.