The possible association between the types of soft palate and gag reflex: a preliminary study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.4322/bds.2023.e3628Abstract
Objective: whether gag reflex, a common problem encountered during dental procedures, is associated with the different types of the soft palate has not been addressed so far. This preliminary study sought to assess the potential association between the different types of soft palate and gag reflex. Material and Methods: one hundred dental patients were recruited. The type of soft palate was determined. Subjective (self-reported) gag reflex was recorded based on many questions and past experience and on a 0-6 VAS. Objective assessment of gag reflex was done using different maneuvers where the posterior part of the tongue and the soft palate were touched by dental mirror, and by taking impression for the upper arch. The association between the types of soft palate and the subjective and objective recorded gag reflex were statistically tested. Results: there were 53 (53%), 33 (33%) and 14 (14%) of the participants with class I, class II and class III soft palate, respectively. A significant association was found between the type of the soft palate and gag reflex in response to one of the subjective items (P= 0.039), more prominent among females (P= 0.009). Concerning the objective assessment, no significant associations were found among males. Meanwhile more females with class II and class III suffered gag reflex and/or actual gagging upon taking the impression (P = 0.001). Conclusion: this study illustrated an association between the type of soft palate and gag reflex, and its severity in females (more specifically soft palate types II and III) more than in males.
KEYWORDS
Gag reflex; Soft palate; Dental materials; Prosthodontics; Restorative dentistry.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Brazilian Dental Science uses the Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license, thus preserving the integrity of articles in an open access environment. The journal allows the author to retain publishing rights without restrictions.
=================
COPYRIGHT TRANSFER AND RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
(PDF)
For all articles published in the BDS journal, copyright is retained by the authors. Articles are licensed under an open-access Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license, meaning that anyone may download and read the paper for free. In addition, the article may be reused and quoted, provided that the original published version is cited. These conditions allow for maximum use and exposure of the work while ensuring that the authors receive proper credit. All metadata associated with published articles is released under the Creative Commons CC0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.
Before the submission, authors must obtain permission to reproduce any published material (figures, schemes, tables, or any extract of a text) that does not fall into the public domain or for which they do not hold the copyright. Permission should be requested by the authors from the copyright holder (usually the Publisher, please refer to the imprint of the individual publications to identify the copyright holder).
The authors hereby attest that the study is original and does not present manipulated data, fraud, or plagiarism. All names listed made a significant scientific contribution to the study, are aware of the presented data, and agree with the final version of the manuscript. They assume complete responsibility for the ethical aspects of the study.
This text must be printed and signed by all authors. The scanned version should be submitted as supplemental file during the submission process.
