Evaluation of the Gag Reflex in Patients Wearing Partial Dentures During Impression Taking

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of the gag reflex in patient of partial dentures wearer
while taking impression.
Methods: a Cross Sectional descriptive study was done at department of Prosthodontics,
Institute of Dentistry, LUMHS, Jamshoro, on 97 prosthodontics patients (removable partial
denture, fixed restoration such as crown, bridge) aged 20 to 60 years and of either genders. Data
regarding demographic characteristics and gag reflex were collected using the Gagging Problem
Assessment Questionnaire (GPA–Patient Short Form). The scores were categorized as mild,
moderate, or severe. After all the relevant data collection the analysis was done using IBM SPSS
version 26.
Results: Overall mean age of the individuals was 36.93±7.66 years and females were in majority
63(64.9%). Out of all partial denture wearers, 92.8% reported experiencing a gag reflex.
Additionally the majority of participants (62.9%) had a mild gag reflex, 6(26.8%) had a
moderate response, 3(3.1%) reported a severe gag reflex, while 7(7.2%) showed no gag reflex.
However the severity of the gag reflex did not show a statistically significant association with
age and gender (p->0.05).
Conclusion: This study revealed that a mild to moderate gag reflex was observed the most
common among partial denture wearers, particularly during impression procedures involving the
upper jaw and posterior oral regions, without its significant association with age or gender.
Key words: Partial denture, Gag reflex, Impressions