The impact of a newly constructed removable denture on the objective and subjective masticatory function

Purpose This study investigated the impact of the renewal of a removable prosthesis on the masticatory function by subjective and objective measures and its variation among the types of occlusal support.Methods Seventy-eight patients who received newly fabricated removable denture patients participated in this study. For the objective assessment, masticatory performance was measured using test gummy jelly. For the subjective assessment, standardized questionnaires about food acceptability and the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) were used. Pre- and post-insertion assessments were performed for each subject. Subjects were divided into three groups according to their posterior occlusion: with posterior occlusion (w/PO), without posterior occlusion (w/o PO) and edentulous. Wilcoxon's signed rank test was used to compare the pre- and post-treatment measurements of each assessment. The analysis of covariance and a multiple comparison were used to assess the effect of new dentures and differences due to occlusal support.Results The masticatory performance, OHRQoL and food acceptability following prosthodontic treatment were significantly improved by new denture insertion. The masticatory performance among groups varied to a relative degree. The rate of masticatory performance improvement for edentulous subjects was twice that in w/PO subjects. The OHRQoL was significantly lower in the w/o PO and edentulous groups with old denture than patients w/PO. The food acceptability improved most markedly in the edentulous group.Conclusions The improvement in the masticatory performance by new denture insertion varied among types of occlusal support. Re-establishing the occlusal support of edentulous patients may help restore their OHRQoL and improve food acceptability.