Does prosthodontic rehabilitation change the eating patterns among completely edentulous patients?

Abstract

Nutrition is compromised in completely edentulous individuals. As there is limited literature available on the nutritional health of the elderly in the Indian population, the present study was undertaken to assess these changes before and 1 month after placement of complete dentures in a dental hospital in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. The 10-item closed-ended questionnaire was completed by the investigator who interviewed the subjects (n = 35) before placement of complete dentures and 1 month later. A statistically significant difference was found for having an illness or condition that led to a change in the type and/or amount of food eaten (p = 0.013); eating few fruits, vegetables, or milk products (p = 0.005) and having oral problems that made it difficult to eat (p = 0.003). Prosthodontic rehabilitation improved the eating pattern with increased intake of fruits, vegetables and milk products.