Cognitive Changes and Neural Correlates After Rehabilitation of Masticatory Function in Elderly -an Intervention Study

Summary

Today in elderly tooth loss and loss of oral function is widespread, but it is an underexplored modifiable risk factor potentially contributing to the development of dementia. In this interventional study a "cause-effect" relationship between mastication and cognition in humans will be investigated.

A total of eighty (80) participants, 65-80 years of age, indicated for prosthodontic rehabilitation will be randomly assigned to either the experimental or the control group. Participants will be randomized into two different groups, measurements are going to be conducted before and after prosthetic rehabilitation. The difference between the two groups is that the control group are going to do two measurements before undergoing the rehabilitation, this to control for the test-re-test effect.

The aim with this study is to determine if the rehabilitation of chewing function will cause changes in the neurocognitive assessments of episodic memory and learning.

Conditions

• Chewing Problem
• Cognitive Decline
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Degenerative; Dementia
• Mastication Disorder
• Neurocognitive Dysfunction

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Oral prosthetic rehabilitation

Individual treatment options will be discussed with the participants individually and rehabilitation will be provided as agreed by the dentist and the participant. The rehabilitation will include fixed prosthodontics. The procedures will involve a control phase involving scaling, root planing oral hygiene instructions etc., extractions and bone augmentation when needed and temporary removable dentures. Restoration of the lost vertical dimension (if needed) with occlusal splints, tooth preparations, placement of dental implants (if needed) and finally cementation of dental crowns. The rehabilitation phase is estimated to take approximately 3-18 months, or more.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Karolinska Institutet

  collaborator OTHER

• Eastmaninstitutet

  collaborator OTHER

• Folktandvården Stockholms län AB

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Mats Trulsson, Prof. DDS · Karolinska Institutet

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

65 Years

Max Age

80 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-11-02

Primary Completion

2026-12-30

Completion

2030-12-30

Countries

• Sweden

Study Locations