ABSTRACT
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this study was to establish a relation between the crest of
alveolar ridge and functionally obtained neutral zone and to determine the effect of duration of edentulousness on the
location of neutral zone in relation to the crest of residual
alveolar ridge. MATERIALS AND
METHODS:
The study included three groups Group I-15 subjects edentulous for 0 months to 2 years; Group 2-15 subjects edentulous for 2-5 years; and Group 3-15 subjects edentulous for more than 5 years. Neutral zone recording was performed for each subject and the buccolingual relationship of the crest of the mandibular
alveolar ridge and position of the neutral zone was examined. The results were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis H test and the
Chi-square test.
RESULTS:
The results suggested that the
location of the neutral zone varies from individual to individual depending on their musculature and that there is a significant relation to the duration of edentulousness. As edentulousness increases, there is more lingual positioning of the neutral zone at the
molar region of both sides of the arch. At the
premolar region, there is no change in position of the neutral zone; it remains constant as resorption of the
alveolar ridge is directly under the buttress. In the anterior region, there is more labial positioning of the neutral zone as edentulousness increases.
CONCLUSIONS:
This
technique proves itself to be an easy and inexpensive way to determine the relationship between the crest of
alveolar ridge and neutral zone. Incorporating this
technique into practice
will be a great
aid that can be exploited by the clinicians for functional and psychological comfort of the
patients.
