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Postural Perturbations Tracing to the Stomatognathic System

NCT06974591 · Status: RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 40

Last updated 2025-12-04

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

A connection of the stomatognathic system \[an anatomical system comprising the teeth, jaws, and associated soft tissues\] to postural control has been suggested in the literature. This research will investigate how occlusion can impact postural response, disorder, and rehabilitation by examining how modifications in the vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) influence balance and gait.

Although it is currently unclear which or how restorative approaches cause postural disturbances, changes in several occlusal factors, i.e. VDO, Angle's class, crossbite and others have been suggested to manifest clearly into an altered stability, which could have a significant effect on the quality of life, especially in the elderly.

The present study aims to identify the degree to which specific interventions in oral cavity affect the stability and gait patterns of patients, This will b achieved by either:

* The use of dental splints (fully certified devices)
* The use of the subjects' own dentures

A direct correlation of postural perturbations and VDO, would essentially void the necessity to evaluate specific interventions (e.g. different types of restorations) independently and allow clinicians to assess a potential effect on their patients' stability and gait based on pre- to post- treatment VDO.

Conditions

  • Posture

Interventions

OTHER

Dental splints

Each participant will receive six custom-made dental splints to incrementally increase their VDO. These splints will alter the VDO in increments from 5 to 30 mm, specifically: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 mm.

OTHER

Dentures

Participants in this group will participate in balance and gait testing both with and without their dentures to examine how the presence or absence of dentures affects postural stability and movement.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • Boston University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Alexandros Tsouknidas, PhD · Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Boston University

Study Design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Model
PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age
30 Years
Max Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2025-11-17
Primary Completion
2027-06-30
Completion
2027-06-30

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT06974591 on ClinicalTrials.gov