Change in nutrition among patients with temporomandibular disorder after removable partial denture wear

Posterior tooth loss can lead to masticatory difficulties and can affect nutrition intake and thus the nutritional status of patients. Denture replacement may improve mastication and nutritional intake. Previous studies examining the nutrition intake and nutritional status of denture wearing patients have shown inconclusive results. In this observational study, we analyzed the relationship between temporomandibular disorder (TMD), denture wear, and nutrition intake. We enrolled 28 patients (aged ≥45 years) with missing posterior teeth treated with dentures at the Dental Hospital, Faculty of Dentistry, Universitas Indonesia. TMD was diagnosed through oral examination. The semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to measure nutrition intake (Kcal) at baseline and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of denture wear. A significant difference was seen in nutrient intake between the TMD and non-TMD groups before and after denture wear. At baseline, nutrition intake of the TMD group was 1,330.45 ± 141.29 Kcal, whereas that of the non-TMD group was 1,416.41 ± 143.27 Kcal. A repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a significant difference in nutrition intake among both the groups before and after wearing the dentures (P ≤ 0.05). Denture wear improves nutrition intake among pre-elderly and elderly TMD patients.