FUNCTIONAL STATE OF THE CHEWING APPARATUS IN PATIENTS WITH A SHORTENED FRENULUM OF THE TONGUE
The structure of the bridle prevents the proper development and functioning of oral organs. The aim of our study was to assess the functional state of the chewing apparatus in patients with shortened tongue bridle using the Hamburg Examination. 54 students of 18-23 years old were examined, taking into account the shape and length of the tongue bridle, bad habits. When analyzing limited and large mouth opening depending on tongue bridle parameters, we established statistically significant differences (p = 0.031). When analyzing the results of "Hamburg" testing according to bad habits (Table 2), statistically significant differences (p = 0.035) were established between oral opening disorder and tongue bridle parameters. When analyzing the parameters of the tongue bridle depending on bad habits, it was not possible to establish statistically significant differences (p = 0.675). The obtained results indicate a small effect of these parameters on the development of dysfunctions of the functional state of the chewing apparatus in connection with a small sample of patients, which requires continued work on the study.