A randomized clinical trial comparing anatomic, lingualized, and zero-degree posterior occlusal forms for complete dentures

Abstract

There is a lack of evidence to recommend a particular type of posterior occlusal form for conventional complete dentures. The purpose of this study was to compare subject satisfaction with 3 types of posterior occlusal forms for complete dentures in a randomized cross-over controlled trial. For each participant (n=45), 3 sets of complete dentures were fabricated, each of which had a different posterior occlusal form (0-degree, anatomic, and lingualized). Each set was worn for 8 weeks in a randomized order. Subjective data were collected using the Oral Health Impact Profile 20-EDENT (OHIP-EDENT). The Wilcoxon statistical test was used to compare differences between the groups (alpha=.05). Lingualized posterior occlusal forms were perceived to be significantly superior in terms of painful aching in the mouth (P=.01), sore spots (P<.001), eating ability (P=.02), and meal interruptions (P=.008), compared with 0-degree posterior occlusal forms. Subjects with anatomic posterior occlusal forms had significantly fewer problems eating (P=.05) compared with 0-degree posterior occlusal forms. There was no significant difference found between the lingualized and anatomic posterior occlusal forms. Participants provided with complete dentures having lingualized or anatomic posterior occlusal forms exhibited significantly higher levels of self-perceived satisfaction compared to those with 0-degree posterior occlusal forms.