Comparative Study of Acceptance and Adaptation to New Complete Dentures, Using Two Construction Protocols

To validate patients' acceptance and adaptation to new complete dentures, fabricated using two construction protocols. Evaluation was achieved by means of two psychometric questionnaires and registration of total number of sore spots.

Twenty complete denture wearers, who sought replacement dentures because of complaints (material degradation or unsatisfactory repaired fracture) associated with them, were selected according to specific inclusion criteria. The denture construction protocols were randomly assigned to the study participants. Ten participants received complete dentures using a duplication construction protocol with a bilateral balanced occlusal (BBO) scheme (duplicate complete denture group); ten participants received complete dentures using a traditional construction protocol with BBO (traditional complete denture group). All study participants completed the Complete Denture Satisfaction and the Oral Health Impact Profile-20 (OHIP-20) questionnaires before they received the new complete dentures (pretreatment) and at 3 and 6 months post-treatment. At the initial adaptation/adjustment visits, the location and number of sore spots were identified. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate differences between groups and within each group pre- and post-treatment.

Denture satisfaction and oral health related quality of life scores were independent of the complete denture construction protocol. Within the traditional complete denture group there was a statistically significant increase in denture satisfaction and equivalent decrease (improvement) in OHIP-20 scores between pre- and post-treatment (both at 3-month and 6-month visits). This finding was consistent for OHIP-20 scores within the duplicate complete denture group, but not for denture satisfaction, which was not statistically significant. The total number of recorded sore spots was approximately double for the traditional complete denture group compared to the duplicate complete denture group.

According to the results of the study, patients' overall acceptance of their newly constructed complete dentures improved significantly for both groups (traditional and duplication construction protocols). Study participants adapted dissimilarly to their newly constructed complete dentures regarding comfort, as assessed by the total number of sore spots, although the recorded mean number of initial adaptation/adjustment visits was equal.