Opinions and feelings on eating with complete dentures: a qualitative inquiry

Our knowledge of variables affecting the coping strategies that lead to acceptance of foods in populations wearing complete dentures is limited. Focus groups were conducted with the specific aim of determining factors responsible for successful adaptation to chewing with complete dentures. Each of the five focus groups consisted of eight to 15 participants (mean = 11; mean age = 64 yrs), of mixed gender, with at least five years of denture-wearing experience (mean = 7 years), and with groups varying in their socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds. Participants' statements (n = 324) were sorted for their content, by consensus between the two investigators, into 12 conceptually independent domains (listed in decreasing order of frequency of mention): foods and food textures causing difficulties when eating, foods being avoided, stability and retention of dentures, social constraints, bolus size, general satisfaction with the current dentures, general experience with dentures, sensation of temperature, experience of pain during chewing, experiences with taste, experiences with rinsing the dentures after eating, and time involved with chewing. In addition, further analysis of statements showed that food texture was the most commonly mentioned with foods that were either difficult to chew or avoided. These perceptions significantly affected the choice of food. The results of this qualitative study indicate that food texture is one of the major factors influencing the choice of a coping strategy by denture wearers when trying to overcome difficulties in chewing specific foods. As such, food texture may have a significant effect on patients' success in the process of their functional adaptation.