Effect of denture adhesives on oral moisture: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of denture adhesives on oral moisture in a 10-center parallel randomized clinical trial.

Two hundred edentulous subjects wearing complete dentures were allocated into three groups: cream-type adhesive, powder-type adhesive and control groups. The adhesives (and saline solution in the control group) were applied to the mucosal surface of the dentures for 4 days, and baseline data and data after the intervention for eight meals over 4 days were obtained. For the main outcome, oral moisture was measured with a moisture checking device. Secondary outcomes were denture satisfaction, masticatory performance, denture retention, and occlusal force. In addition to between-group and within-group comparisons of oral moisture, investigations for secondary outcomes were undertaken in subgroups classified according to the degree of oral moisture at baseline (normal subgroup and dry mouth subgroup). Intention-to-treat analysis was also performed.

Between-group and within-group comparisons of oral moisture showed no significant differences. The cream-type and powder-type denture adhesives were significantly effective in the dry mouth group for denture satisfaction ratings of ability to masticate, stability, retention, and comfort of mandibular dentures (p<0.05). The masticatory performance and retentive force of the dry mouth denture adhesive using groups were significantly improved after intervention (p<0.05).

The oral moisture of complete denture wearers was not influenced by the use of denture adhesives. Our findings showed that denture adhesives improved subjective denture satisfaction, masticatory performance, and retention for complete denture patients with oral dryness.