Abstract
Oral sugar clearance is influenced by factors such as food, salivary secretion rate, the volume of saliva before and after swallowing and the oral motor function. Oral health has been viewed in isolation from the general health. The aim of this study was to determine oral sugar clearance in patients wearing various types of prosthodontic reconstructions. This clinical trial comprised 80 subjects. Salivary glucose concentration was measured under the tongue after chewing a glucose tablet in four groups of individuals with first group wearing complete dentures (n=20), second wearing removable partial dentures (n=20), third group wearing fixed partial dentures (n=20) and fourth group with no dentures being the control group (n=20). Salivary glucose clearance was also studied after a mouth rinse with 10% glucose in all the four groups. Saliva samples for the glucose analysis were taken from two different locations one being under the tongue and the other in the labial vestibule near the mandibular first molar region. After the glucose tablet intake it was found that the glucose concentration and clearance time was higher for patients with complete dentures. After the glucose rinse, higher values for the clearance variables were obtained in the vestibule than under the tongue. The data obtained from this study conclude that complete dentures slows down the oral sugar clearance levels and the clearance time for these dentures took longer in the vestibule than under the tongue. Thus it is concluded that the oral sugar clearance was more site dependent in the mouth than the absence or presence of prosthodontic appliances.

Key words: Oral sugar clearance, prosthodontic reconstructions, glucose intake, salivary secretion, sugars.