Introduction

In day to day practice prosthodontists and general dentists frequently come across patients who have extreme oral sensitivity by which they are unable to tolerate any foreign material in the oral cavity.

Patients with such sensitivity often complaint of nausea, gagging or vomiting during the dental procedures which creates a difficult situation to manage.

The phenomenon of gagging is responsible for many embarrassing situations both for the patient and the clinician on account of sudden, violent uncontrolled retching.

The normal gag reflex is an adaptive vital mechanism for survival controlled by primly parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. Gagging movement alter the shape of the pharynx and its various structures eject foreign bodies from mouth and pharynx and prevents progress bodies from entering the trachea.

The objective of this presentation is underline and understand the neurophysiology of gag reflex and enable on operator to manage the tas .

Review of Literature

The literature on the retching is been divided into two groups" !. #ttempt to analy$e the case of gagging. %. &ifferent method of management of gag reflex. Landa (1954) suggested that majority of patients show history of a precipitating cause.

Schote (1959) related the gag reflex to the vomiting reflex and describe that the vomiting center lies in the dorsal portion of the lateral reticular formation of medulla oblongata and to some extent, includes tractus solitarius.

Means and Flennikon '!()*+ stated that physiologic mechanisms of gagging and swallowing are related that the same different nerve pathways, brain centers and efferent nerve pathways transmit the respective stimulation.

Wri ht (19!") used ,ysench personality questionnaire to examine the personalities of dental patient who retched while attempting to wear denture. There was no evidence to suggest that retching patients were more neurotics this control group. -e also analy$ed the medical history, several habits and experience of patients who gagged and found a higher incidence of gastric condition.

#ordon (1954) suggested that a matt finish to the denture is more readily accepted to overcome the problem.

$orkin (1959) described an impression ma ing technique using .err impression wax over special trays.

%arl (19&') %orate (19(1) designed a technique to divert patients attention during unpleasant clinical procedures.

Far on)lu* (19&!) described causes and management of retching during impression ma ing by using reali$ation technique.

Schole (1959) described the management of the patients by elimination of the biomechanical deficiency in their prosthesis with drugs.

Sin er (19(5) he tried to accumulates the patients to wear denture by using glass marbles in mouth prior to the treatment.

Mur+h, (19(9) surveyed gagging and analy$ed medical histories. -e attributed the problem to complete or partial maxillary denture. -e treated gagging patients by construction clear acrylic training plate combined with relaxation therapy.

Fla*er and -onnel, (19!4) suggested a technique for construction of a plateless denture 'not covering palatal vault+ but they noted that it is only /

satisfactory if maxillary ridge is well formed so that minimi$es hori$ontal movement+.

Fleed and Linton (19!!) treated cases of hopeless gagger in whom they rapidly eliminated the hyperactive reflex by a method they formed as behavioral intervention combined with a sedative impression.

-auses of .a

in

0etching is found to be induced due to following reasons"

1. Anatomical factors:

#bnormal anatomical situations and oro1pharyngeal sensitivity predisposes patient to gag.

2ver extension of dentures in soft palate. # long soft palate and a sudden drop at the junction of the hard and soft palates are associated with the problem.

#n atonic and relaxed soft palate elicits gagging by allowing the uvula to contact the tongue and the soft palate to touch the posterior pharyngeal wall.

Gagging also has been attributed to undue sensitivity of the soft palate, uvula, fauces, posterior pharyngeal wall and the tongue.

2. Local factors causing gag reflex includes: 4asal obstruction. Postnasal drip. 5aterrah. 6inusitis. 4asal polyps. 5ongestion of the oral, nasal and pharyngeal mucosa.

3. Sex prediction: Gagging has been found more commonly in men than in women.

4. Medical conditions believed to contribute to gagging in dentistry includes.

5hronic diseases of gastrointestinal tract which increase its irritability so that normally sub1threshold stimuli excite the reflex.

Parasympathetic impulses from severe pain in sites other than the gastrointestinal tract may also causes gagging.

It has been associated with chronic gastritis, patersens dysplasia, carcinoma of stomach, partial gastectomy peptic ulceration,

cholecyastitis, carcinoma of the pancreas diaphraymetric herina, and uncontrolled diabetis.

5. Social causes of gagging includes : -eavy smo ing which causes gagging result of hypersensitivity. 5hronic catarrah. 5oughing. #ssociated with excessive consumption of alcohol.

8. 9ear some people who gag with dentures are also unable to tolerate other objects intraorally with fear acting as a common cause of gagging.

). &entures stimulate gagging of moving against the soft tissue or by reducing the tongue spaces and causing the tongue to be displaced posteriorly into pharynx.

:. Gagging can also result from a restricted airway. It is difficult for a patient with a very larger tongue or a small nasopharynx to tolerate bul y dentures.

Mana e*ent of .a

in

#s we go through literature several treatment modalities a approaches have appeared with a few exceptions studies have been conducted in carry small sample si$e.

!. 6everal authors have suggested hypnosis relaxation, relaxation plus controlled breathing and positive self statements and performances of incompatible responses such as reading all have been used with some success.

%. ;edications such as sedative antihistamine, parasympathetic and topical anesthetics have been used with some success.

/. #pplebly and &ays finger massage technique and 6ingers ;arble technique.

3. 0eduction of palatal coverage of maxillary dentures.

7. ;odification of edentulous maxillary custom tray to prevent gagging. 8. Psychotherapy has been recommended for chronic or hystorical gagging. ). #nalgesics. :. 5onditioning prosthesis. (. 5ontrolled breathing method. !*. <eg lift technique. !!. #ccupressure technique. 6everal treatment approaches beyond correction of biomechanical factors and reassurance have appeared in the literature. =ith a few exceptions, studies have reported little data or small sample si$es. )

!. 6everal authors have advocated hypnosis. 0elaxation, relaxation plus controlled breathing and positive self1statements and performance of incompatible responses, such as reading aloud, have been used with some success.

%. ;edications, such as sedatives, antihistamines, para1sympatholytios and topical anasthetics have been used with some success.

/.

;arble techniques" #ppleby and >ay?s finger massage of the soft palate and 6inger?s @marble technique?, seem to be methods by which the gag reflex can be exhausted thereby allowing for graduated exposure to the dental prosthesis or procedure.

3. The marble technique consists of seven steps which are as follows"

a. The first visit " 4o oral examination of any ind was made at the first office visit. 9ive round, multicolored, glass marbles, approximately A inch in diameter were placed on a tray infront of the patient. The patient was told to put the marbles in his mouth, one at a time, at his leisure, until all five marbles were in his mouth.

6ince the fear of swallowing a foreign object can induce the gag reflex, the patient was assured that if he swallowed a marble, it could not harm him. 5ontinual assurance that he would be able to wear dentures was given to the patient at each wee ly visit. -e was urged to eep the five marbles in his :

mouth continuously for one wee , except when eating and sleeping. Patient with this problem can be treated with as few as two marbles.

b. /he second visit 0 The patient was again given assurance that he would be able to wear denture, which further fortified his own motivation.

c. /he third visit 0 >efore the impression ma ing was attempted, the hard palate, the soft palate, the chee s, the lips, and the tongue were swabbed with % percent Pontocaine solution in order to produce topical anaesthesia.

Preliminary modeling compound impressions were made, refined and completed without a wash. The base plates were not highly polished, but they were sand blasted to give them a dull finish. -ighly polished base plates often given a slimy or slippery feeling.

d. Fourth visit 0 The base plate for the lower denture was inserted, and the patient was told to continue to eep three marbles in his mouth in addition to this base plate. # Btraining beadC 'a small bead made of cold1curing acrylic resin+ was placed on the lingual aspect of the lower base plate at the normal position of the lower central incisors. The training bead was used to help the patient maintain the proper tongue position. The patient should be reassured that he is ma ing excellent progress. (

e. Fifth visit 0 The upper base plate was inserted. If proved to be a little more difficult for the patient to tolerate than the lower one, but he was as ed to eep both of them in his mouth continually except when eating. The use of marbles was continued.

f. /he si1th visit 0 The patient will now able to endure the presence of both base plates. 2cclusal rims were used to determine esthetic considerations and to verify the occlusion. The patient should continue to wear the upper and lower base plates while the dentures are being processed.

g. /he seventh visit 0 The completed lower denture was inserted and used in conjunction with the upper base plate. # training bead was placed on the lower denture as a guide to tongue position. The patient should be instructed to eep the tip of the tongue always touching the bead, which would eep the lower denture from lifting. 4ext the upper denture is inserted.

The @marble technique? is useful in assuming so1called BhopelessC gaggers that it is possible for them to have dentures constructed and then to wear them. The change from the mental rejection to physical acceptance of the dentures can be greatly enhanced by the use of the marble technique.

52 Reduction of +alatal covera e of *a1illar, denture0 !*

The maxillary denture can be reduced to a D1shaped border situated approximately !* mm from the dental arch. &enture wearers with the above type of dentures, reported that reduction of the palatal coverage influences their sense of taste positively, and gagging tendency disappears.

&2 Modification of edentulous *a1illar, custo* tra, to +revent a

in 0

The maxillary custom tray can be modified to prevent gagging as follows"

a. 6evere maxillary cast from a preliminary impression in the usual manner.

b. >loc

out all undercuts on the cast and form a tray with

autopolymeri$ing acrylic resin that is %1/ mm short of all vestibular extensions. 4o handle should be placed at this time.

c. Place base plate wax on the superior surface of the tray at the posterior segment. The wax should have roughly the same outline as the posterior palatal seal, extending from one tuberosity to the other.

d. #ttach a disposable saliva ejector to the base plate wax in the midline of the tray. ;a e sure the tip of the saliva ejector is embedded in the wax.

e. 6over the wax with a thin layer of petroleum jelly. !!

f. ;ix a second batch of autopolymeri$ing tray acrylic resin. 9orm this material into a thin sheet and place it over the wax and tip of the saliva ejector.

The material should extend past the wax and attach to the original tray.

g. #fter the acrylic resin has cured, remove the wax spacer.

h. 6mooth any roughness on the tray and polish the tray at this time.

i. #dd a wax occlusion rime to the tray to approximate the position and contour of the teeth in the completed denture.

j. Trim the posterior extent of the tray and border mold in the usual manner.

. ;ix the impression material and load the tray. #s the impression tray is being seated in the mouth, the assistant attaches the low volume evacuation base to the end of the saliva ejector embedded in the tray.

l. >order mold the impression in the usual manner.

!%

m. 0emove the tray from the mouth after the impression material extruding from the posterior border of the tray has been suc ed into the vacuum chamber that was formed.

The modified maxillary custom acrylic resin tray aids in removal of excess impression material as it extrudes from the posterior border of the maxillary custom tray before it can elicit a gag reflex in the patient.

). Psychotherapy has been recommended for otherwise intractable Bchronic or hystericalC gagging.

:. #nalgesics " This causes a rapid, effective elimination of the gagging in already denture wearing patients.

# cotton swab is used to apply a light coating of oral @antiseptic E analgesic? to the soft palate and rear of the tongue to produce some decrease in sensation. 6econdly, a tongue depressor was used to repeatedly probe the soft palate and rear of the tongue. =hen the gag reflex consitently failed to occur, the patient inserted the upper denture. -e signals when gagging seems imminent and removed the denture to avoid further associations of proper placement with gagging and vomiting. 9our series of four timed trials were conducted on the first % days of treatment. 9ewer trials were conducted on days / and 3 because the patients tolerance of the maxillary denture is li ely to increase. !/

(. 5onditioning prosthesis " # conditioning denture can be used in problem patients which is used to train the patient to gradually control gagging and adapt to reduced taste sensations.

This conditioning prosthesis consists of alveolar palatal prosthesis constructed in acrylic similar to an orthodontic appliance in which ball clasps are included to retain the prosthesis.

6uch an appliance is worn for ! wee s of adaptation, with ! wee of respite between prosthesis. The helps the patient in accepting the permanent prosthesis to be inserted later.

6uch an appliance is worn for ! wee s of adaptation, with ! wee of respite between prosthesis. The helps the patient in accepting the permanent prosthesis to be inserted later.

!*. 5ontrolled breathing method " This method advocated by the 4ational 5hild >irth Trust for use by women in labour in similar to that advocated by ;orphy.

a. #ll patients were instructed in controlled rhythmic breathing and told to practice it for one or two wee s before prosthetic treatment commenced. The breathing was slow, deep and even, and the rhythm maintained by concentrating the mind upon a particular verse or tune with an even tempo. The concentration was particularly important so !3

that if the patient experienced a retching episode the breathing would become deeper and slower.

b. If no satisfactory denture was in existence, a very thin clear acrylic base plate was constructed. 5are was ta en to provide maximal palatal coverage to just short of the vibrating line, a satisfacotry post dam and a very thin posterior border.

Impressions for construction of base plate were ta en in the usual two stages " primary impressions using impression compound in stoc trays and secondary impressions, usually of plaster, ta en in shellac special trays. &uring impression ta ing, patient?s rhythmic breathing was reinforced. 9ew problems were encountered at the primary impression stage, and this gave subjects a course of achievements. #t the secondary impression stage, care was ta en to ensure that no plaster ran down on to the lower part of the soft palate by waiting until the plaster had ceased to @run? before inserting the impression. #t all times the operator made the subjects concentrate on his or her breathing and if retching or vomiting occurred, the operator should maintain a relaxed manner so that the subjects did not get agitated.

c. =hen the base plate was inserted, the breathing technique was explained again and the patient told emphathetically that a routine should be adopted whereby a particular time each day was suggested for denture acclimisation. !7

The length of time the base plate was worn each day should be slowly increased. #t first the base plate was to be ept in for only five minutes and under no circumstances removed, even if retching stimulus became very strong. The rhythmic breathing should be maintained for the whole base plate wearing period. Patients had to write down the length of the time the base plate was worn each day so that one day?s time could be compared with preceding ones. Thus the patient could assess his own progress, and the operator could assess the degree of cooperation.

#fter the base plate was inserted the patients were not seen for %1/ wee s. It too three or four visits before both wearer and operator were

confident enough for treatment to continue and denture construction to begin.

d. The needle ta en from the second impressions were duplicated so that the final denture was constructed on a model identical to that used for the base plate. Thus the base plate could be worn right upto the time the denture was fitted.

!8

3iscussion0
=e the prosthodontists usually come across patients who are extremely sensitive which cannot tolerate any foreign substance.

It is postulated that gagging reaction is a continued anxiety reaction which is induced by state of mind.

It is possible that the chronic gaggers may here more extensive distribution of vagus nerve with such an abnormally physical stimulation of mucous may induce gagging.

!)

Su**ar, 0
Gag reflex is of psychogenic in origin. The hyperactive gag reflex produces lots of clinical difficulties for the patient as well as dentist. #ll the methods which are discussed should be used to manage patients. The rhythmic breathing is found to be most effective method of controlling the reflex.

!:

$i)lio ra+h, 0
6chote ;.T. " ;anagement of the gagging. F. Prosthet. &ent., 3 G 7):, !(7(. .rol #.F. " # new approach to the gagging problem. F. Prosthet. &ent., !/ G 8!!, !(8/. ;eans 5.0. 9lennien F.,. .ovals F.F. " " Gagging a problem in prosthetic dentistry. F. Prosthet. &ent., %/, 8!3, !()*. 5linical evaluation of the gagging denture patient. F. Prosthet. &ent., %7G 8!7, !()!. 6inger F.<. " The marble technique " method for treating the hopeless gagger for complete dentures. F. Prosthet. &ent., %(G !3(, !()/. ;urphy =.;. " # clinical survey of gagging patients. F. Prosthet. &ent., 3% G !37, !()(.

!(

=right 6.;.

"

The radiological anatomy of patients who gag with dentures. F. Prosthet. &ent., 37 G !%), !(:!.

=right 6.;.

"

;edical history, social habits and individual experiences of patients who gag with dentures. F. Prosthet. &ent., 37 G 3)3, !(:!.

5onny &.F. and Tedeso <.#.

"

The gagging problem in prosthodontic treatment Part I, &escribption and causes. F. Prosthet. &ent., 3( G 8*!, !(:/.

5onny &.F. and Tedesco <.#.

"

The gagging problem in prosthodontic treatment Part II, Patient management. F. Prosthet. &ent., 3( G )7), !(:/.

9armer F.>., 5onnelly ;.,. Gillian -ord, 0eddic 9loystrand et al

"

Palateless dentures help for the gagging patient. F. Prosthet. &ent., 7% G 8(!, !(:3.

"

Gagging " # chairside approach to control. F. >r. &. #ssoc., 6ept. !(:8, !*!'7+G !)%1!)8.

"

,ffects on retention of reducing the palatal coverage of complete maxillary dentures. #cta 2dont. 6candinavica, #pril !(:8, 33'%+ ))1:/.

Gordon 4. Gallison

"

# modified edentulous maxillary custom tray to help, prevent gagging. F. Prosthet. &ent. 8% G 3:13(, !(:(.

%*