Facts and fallacies: an evidence base for complete dentures

Area of Science:

• Dental Prosthodontics
• Clinical Dentistry

Background:

• Edentulism rates are declining, yet a significant number of individuals still require complete dentures.
• Patient satisfaction with complete dentures often shows a weak correlation with the technical quality of the prostheses.
• Current evidence does not support the necessity of complex fabrication techniques, such as face-bow registration, for improved clinical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the factors influencing the success of complete denture treatments.
• To determine the relative importance of prosthodontic technique versus psychosocial factors in patient satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on complete denture fabrication and patient outcomes.
• Analysis of the correlation between denture quality, fabrication complexity, and patient satisfaction.
• Assessment of the impact of psychosocial factors on treatment success.

Main Results:

• No significant evidence supports that complex denture fabrication techniques, including face-bow registration, lead to better clinical results.
• Balanced occlusion or articulation is not essential for the functional success of complete dentures.
• Variations in materials and fabrication techniques have minimal impact on the final clinical outcome.

Conclusions:

• Psychosocial factors, particularly the dentist-patient relationship, are more critical for a positive outcome than prosthodontic factors.
• Establishing a strong dentist-patient relationship is paramount for successful complete denture treatment.