[Technical quality and satisfaction related to full conventional dentures]

Tooth loss is highly prevalent in Brazil, especially among the elderly, where more than three million need bimaxillary dentures. The federal government instituted Specialized Dental Care Centers (SDCC) to remedy this situation. The scope of this study was to evaluate one attribute of these Centers, namely the provision of full conventional dentures (FCD) from the perspective of quality and satisfaction related to this product. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 149 individuals fitted with such dentures in SDCC of Rio Grande do Norte between 2007 and 2009. Data were obtained by questionnaire and clinical examination of FCD regarding its retention, stability, aesthetics, and fixation. From the 233 dentures evaluated, 52.7% of upper FCD and 9.5% of lower FCD were technically satisfactory. With respect to the association between technical quality and satisfaction, the chi-square test indicated that upper FCDs were technically adequate (p = 0.041), particularly in terms of retention (p = 0.002) and stability (p = 0.000) and were associated with patient satisfaction. Thus, the FCD satisfied the users, despite the technical defects. However, this satisfaction may come from the fitting itself rather than its functionality.