Researchers set to explore the long-term physical impacts of wearing dentures

However, while dentures are individually moulded and fitted, there has been little research into how wearing them affects the lining of patients’ mouths.

To address this, experts from the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Dental School plan to create 3D models of the oral mucosa – the tissue similar to skin which lines the inside of the mouth, including the inside of cheeks and lips.

The model consists of two different cell types, both found in the skin and other oral tissues, with previous research having established ways to create this in the lab.

Doing this will allow the researchers to carry out detailed and repeated analyses of how tissue responds to the repeated physical pressure associated with functional dentures.