Discriminating Masticatory Performance and OHRQoL According to Facial Morphology in Complete Denture Wearers: A...

To evaluate the influence of facial type and anteroposterior skeletal discrepancy of complete denture wearers on residual ridge height, masticatory performance, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), and satisfaction levels.

A total of 56 edentulous patients (mean age of 67.1 years) were radiographically evaluated prior to rehabilitation to determine residual ridge height in the maxilla and mandible, facial type, and anteroposterior skeletal discrepancy. Masticatory performance tests with 40 chewing cycles were applied. The Dental Impact on Daily Living questionnaire was used to measure OHRQoL and satisfaction. Data were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis test and logistic regression.

Dolichofacial participants presented with significantly higher bone height than mesofacial and brachyfacial types in the anterior region of the maxilla and mandible and had more mandibular bone than mesofacial types in the premolar region. Class II patients presented significantly higher bone height than Class I participants in the anterior maxilla. Dolichofacial patients performed significantly better than brachyfacial patients in the masticatory performance test. Class I patients achieved more homogenous artificial food trituration than Class III patients (P < .05). High OHRQoL scores were reported in appearance and general performance irrespective of facial type or anteroposterior skeletal discrepancy.

Dolichofacial patients had superior masticatory performance compared to brachyfacial patients. Class III patients showed a reduced capacity to homogenize the food bolus. Mesofacial, dolichofacial, and Class III patients reported the best perceptions of their OHRQoL. Anteroposterior skeletal discrepancy seems to be the main factor contributing to mastication impairments in totally edentulous patients.