Background. Tooth loss and edentulous arcades are health issues emergent all around the world, as absence of teeth characterizes both a poor oral hygiene in developing countries and the old age in the Western world. It has a tremendous impact on mastication and nutrition. Therefore, edentulous patients are frequently exposed to the inability to properly masticate and swallow food. Thus, esophageal food bolus impaction is a frequent and potentially serious condition affecting such patients. The aim of our study is to evaluate the impact of various Kennedy classes of edentulous arcades on esophageal food bolus impaction, leading to disphagia. Materials and methods. 52 partially edentulous patients presenting with acute disphagia secondary to food bolus impaction were included in a cross-sectional study performed in two regional emergency hospitals of Romania between May 2017 and June 2019. Each patient was managed by either oto-rhino-laringology or digestive endoscopy department and tooth loss was established by Kennedy classification. Results and discussions. Patients aged 61 or older were significantly prone to food bolus impaction secondary to partial edentulousness, and Kennedy class 3 of edentulous ridges was significantly more frequently associated to food impaction and disphagia. The need for therapeutic endoscopy performed in emergency settings could help identifying orally disabled patients, as edentulous persons are easily diagnosed by both gastroenterologists and oto-rhino-laringologists performing flexible endoscopy. Hence, the need for dental restorative care should be properly assessed. Conclusions. Edentulous patients presenting with acute disphagia should generally be suspected for esophageal food bolus impaction. On the other hand, besides endoscopic therapy, patients should be referred for restorative dental care.
Keywords:- digestive endoscopy.
- disphagia
- mastication
- tooth loss