A randomized clinical trial comparing anatomic, lingualized, and zero-degree posterior occlusal forms for complete...

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Prosthodontics
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Evidence is lacking for optimal posterior occlusal forms in complete dentures.
• This study addresses the need for comparative data on patient satisfaction with different occlusal designs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare patient satisfaction with three posterior occlusal forms for complete dentures.
• Investigate the impact of 0-degree, anatomic, and lingualized occlusal forms on oral health-related quality of life.

Main Methods:

• A randomized cross-over trial involving 45 participants.
• Fabrication and 8-week randomized wear of three complete denture sets per participant, each with a different posterior occlusal form.
• Subjective data collected via the Oral Health Impact Profile 20-EDENT (OHIP-EDENT) and analyzed using Wilcoxon tests.

Main Results:

• Lingualized forms showed significant superiority over 0-degree forms in reducing mouth pain, sore spots, and meal interruptions, while improving eating ability.
• Anatomic forms also demonstrated significantly fewer eating problems compared to 0-degree forms.
• No significant differences in satisfaction were found between lingualized and anatomic posterior occlusal forms.

Conclusions:

• Complete dentures with lingualized or anatomic posterior occlusal forms lead to significantly higher self-perceived patient satisfaction.
• These findings suggest that lingualized and anatomic occlusal forms are preferable to 0-degree forms for conventional complete dentures.