Evaluation of Active Tactile Perception of Single Tooth Implant Prosthesis

Purpose: The phenomenon of developing a certain tactile sensibility through osseointegrated dental implants is called osseoperception. Active tactile sensibility can be tested by having the subject bite on test bodies. The aim of the study was to assess the active tactile sensibility of osseointegrated single tooth dental implants according to psychophysical method of constant stimuli. Materials and methods: Twenty subjects (10 male and 10 female) with single tooth implants located in the posterior region with natural, healthy antagonistic teeth were included in the study. Ten implants were located in the maxilla and 10 in the mandible. The subjects were also divided into two age groups 30 to 40 years and 40 to 50 years, and the active tactile perception was studied according to the psychophysical method of constant stimuli. Results: The active tactile perception of osseointegrated single tooth dental implants with natural healthy antagonist revealed a threshold ranging between 24 ± 8 μ. The active tactile perception of healthy natural tooth with natural healthy antagonist revealed a threshold ranging between 12 ± 4 μ. No statistically significant results were found between different age groups (30-40 years age group and 40-50 years age group). The threshold for tactile perception was found to be similar in both male and female subjects. No statistical significance was found in the threshold between different implant locations (maxilla and mandible). Conclusion: Active tactile sensibility of implants with natural antagonistic teeth is similar to that of teeth. Implant-supported prosthesis restores jaw function more appropriately, with improved psychophysiological discriminatory ability.