The International Tinnitus Journal

PROSTHETIC OCCLUSAL STABILITY, MASTICATORY FUNCTION, AND AUDITORY PHENOTYPING IN REMOVABLE DENTURE USERS

Gulbonu Yahyoyeva, Bekhzod Khabilov, Firuza Mirsalikhova, Gulruh Shodmonkulova, Muyassar Mirkhoshimova, Dilnoza Sharipova, Nargiza Karimova, Shoira Khudayberganova, Shaxriyor Normirzayev, Mohinur Yahyoyeva

Background: Somatosensory tinnitus may coexist with temporomandibular disorders and altered jaw function, while removable prostheses can change occlusal contacts and masticatory loading. Direct evidence linking artificial-tooth wear or denture-related occlusal instability to tinnitus remains limited. Objective: To examine longitudinal prosthodontic outcomes and evaluate an age-stratified audiometry analysis framework relevant to somatosensory tinnitus research. Methods: Summary-level data from a 12-month prospective prosthodontic cohort of 90 removable denture users were evaluated together with a separate simulated audiometry dataset of 90 age-stratified records used for methodological validation. Clinical outcomes included two-colour chewing-gum mixing efficiency at 15 and 30 seconds, threedimensional occlusal surface change, Vickers microhardness, and compressive strength. The audiometry dataset contained bilateral thresholds at 1000, 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz. Boxplots and age-stratified inferential tests were used to evaluate the proposed auditory analysis pipeline; no patient-level linkage between the two datasets was assumed. Results: In the prosthodontic cohort summary, 15-second masticatory efficiency declined from 69.77 +/- 5.34% at baseline to 66.22 +/- 5.04% at 12 months, while the 30-second value declined from 87.73 +/- 6.41% to 85.01 +/- 5.17%. Mean occlusal surface change increased from 0% to 1.39 +/- 0.32%. Wear was inversely associated with masticatory efficiency (r=-0.72 for 15 seconds and r=-0.68 for 30 seconds). In the audiometry pipeline analysis, thresholds increased with age and frequency. Tinnitus-specific associations were not estimated because tinnitus endpoints were not included in that dataset. Conclusion: Longitudinal prosthodontic phenotyping can quantify clinically relevant changes in occlusal stability and mastication, but these data alone cannot establish a somatosensory tinnitus mechanism. A valid clinical study must link patient-level denture, DC/TMD, audiometric, tympanometric, and THI/TFI measurements at common time points and control strongly for age and hearing loss.