Denture Replacement Research Articles

Self-perception of need to replace dentures and oral health-related quality of life

Aim: With the significant increase in life expectancy over the last decades, it is important to understand how oral health can impact the oral health-related quality of life of older adults. This study aimed to investigate the association between need to replace dentures and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among older adults belonging to a Cohort in southern Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with data from the 2019 Pelotas Elderly Cohort. The OHRQoL was assessed using the GOHAI. Need to replace dentures was self-report using a question dichotomized into yes/no. In the statistical analysis, unadjusted and adjusted models estimate from linear regression models were calculated. The significance level adopted was 5%. Results: A total of 493 older adults were included. On the GOHAI questionnaire, the mean score was 32.74 (SD±0.16). Individuals considering need of prosthesis replacement were 47.89%. Report of need to replace dentures was associated to lowest mean on the GOHAI score (β -1.14; 95%CI - 1.80; -0.478, and on the physical (β -0.56; 95%CI - 0.94 -0.17) and psychosocial (β -0.48; 95%CI - 0.74; -0.22) dimensions. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of also considering subjective measures of oral health in the dental care of older adults, since reporting the need for denture replacement, regardless of the reason, was associated with a worse oral health-related quality of life, including physical and psychosocial aspects.

Effect of New Complete Dentures and Simple Dietary Advice on Cognitive Screening Test among Edentulous Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), including memory loss, has been attracting attention in Japan. This study assessed the effect of new complete dentures provision alone and with dietary intervention on cognitive functions assessed using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J). A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 70 older adults who required new complete dentures. The participants had new complete dentures fabricated and were randomly classified into the intervention or control group. The intervention group received simple dietary advice, and the control group only received denture care advice. Cognitive function was assessed using the MoCA-J before and at 3 and 6 months after treatment. The between-group comparison and within-group comparison were analyzed. No significant differences were reported for comparisons between the intervention and control groups. A significant increase was revealed in the within-group comparisons for the total scores between the 3- and 6-month assessments (p = 0.002) and between the baseline and 6-month assessments (p = 0.012) in the intervention group. In the control group, a significant increase in the total scores was not revealed between any of evaluation period. Complete denture replacement combined with simple dietary intervention may help improve MoCA-J scores in edentulous older adults.

Denture stomatitis-An interdisciplinary clinical review.

An interdisciplinary clinical review on denture stomatitis formulated by experts from prosthodontics, oral medicine, and oral microbiology is presented. The review outlines the etiopathogenesis, clinical features, and management strategies of denture stomatitis from an interdisciplinary perspective. English-language articles relating to the definition, incidence, gender distribution, geographical distribution, etiology, pathogenesis, symptoms, signs, treatment, and prognosis of denture stomatitis were retrieved via electronic literature search. Relevant articles were summarized for this manuscript with a view toward providing pragmatic information. Denture stomatitis represents a very common, multifactorial infectious, inflammatory, and hyperplastic condition which is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene, poor denture hygiene, and full-time; mainly night-time denture wear, bringing about the emergence of advanced Candida-containing polymicrobial biofilms in close proximity to the host's mucosal tissues. Denture stomatitis shares clinically relevant associations with dental caries, periodontitis, median rhomboid glossitis, angular cheilitis, aspirational pneumonia, and associated mortality. Effective, long-term treatment of denture stomatitis relies upon sustained patient-driven behavioral change which should focus on daily prosthesis-level cleaning and disinfection, removal of dentures at night, every night, engagement with professional denture maintenance, and when required, denture replacement. Antifungal medications offer limited benefits outside of short-term use due to the emergence of antifungal resistance. For frail, older, medically compromised, and nursing home populations, treatment of denture stomatitis lowers the risk of aspirational pneumonia and associated mortality.

Patient Satisfaction with Upper and Lower Complete Dentures: A Service Evaluation Report.

The purpose of this questionnaire-based service evaluation was to assess patient satisfaction with complete dentures provided in a dental teaching hospital. Patients completed the self-administered questionnaire before, immediately after, and 2-months following provision of new complete dentures. The questionnaire consisted of the following sections: Patient characteristics, current denture history and satisfaction with the fit of upper/lower complete dentures, chewing ability, speech, and aesthetics. Descriptive analysis, chi-square test, student t-test, and 2-way-ANOVA were performed on satisfaction levels pre-and post-treatment to assess denture fit, chewing ability, speech, and appearance. Age and gender-wise satisfaction levels along with correlations and associations between patient satisfaction levels and various factors were assessed. 147 participants, including 91 males (61.9%) and 56 females (38.1%) completed the study. A statistically significant improvement in satisfaction scores was seen post-treatment in all domains (p⟨0.05), with most respondents showing great satisfaction. Overall, satisfaction levels were: Upper complete denture fit (82%), appearance (87%), speech (67%), chewing ability and lower complete denture fit (39%). A strong positive correlation was observed between the number of previous dentures used and patient satisfaction with upper denture fit (R=1). Denture replacement positively impacts the satisfaction of patients and improves complete denture acceptance.

Differences in complete denture longevity and replacement in public and private dental services: A propensity score-matched analysis of subsidised dentures in adult Australians across 20years.

To examine the differences in treatment outcomes for patients who received subsidized complete dentures in private dental clinics and in public dental clinics over 20years in Victoria, Australia. Between 2000 and 2019, 187227 complete dentures were provided to eligible public patients by the Victorian public dental system. Of these, approximately 52% were provided to public patients in private clinics through the voucher system. Of the 97107 participants who received denture care in private clinics, 70818 were matched 1:1 by propensity score (PS) quantiles with participants who received denture care in public clinics. The PS matching balanced the characteristics between these two groups. Subsequently, a conditional logistic regression model investigated the binary outcome of denture replacement whilst a conditional Poisson regression modelled the number of years to denture replacement. A frailty Cox regression after PS matching investigated denture survival over time. Dentures provided in public clinics had a mean time to replacement of 5.5years (SD: 34.0) and 25.9% were replaced during the observation period. In the first year of denture service, incidence rate per person year (IR) for complete denture replacement in public clinics was 0.04 (95% CI: 0.04-0.04). Dentures provided in private clinics had a mean time to replacement of 6.5years (SD: 3.8) with 29.4% replaced during the observation period. In the first year of denture service, the IR for complete denture replacement in private clinics was 0.02 (95% CI: 0.02-0.02), which was less than half that of the public IR. Multivariate analyses found that although private dentures were more likely to be replaced during the observation period than those provided in the public sector (odds ratio [OR]: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.28-1.35, p<.001), they had greater longevity (incidence rate ratio [IRR]: 1.23, 95% CI: 1.23-1.24, p<.001). Longer longevity of private dentures was also supported by the frailty Cox regression showing that private dentures had a reduced hazard of denture replacement over time (better survival) in comparison to public dentures (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.97, p<.001). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis supported the study findings. Increased denture longevity, higher rates of denture replacement and lower rates of early denture replacement were associated with receiving denture care in private clinics as compared with dentures provided in the public sector.

The Physiological Basis Of The Oral Surgical Management Of A Patient With Polycythemia Rubra Vera: A Pathway For The Development Of A Protocol

Various oral surgical procedures are currently performed under local anaesthesia and conscious sedation as a day surgery procedure. Both oral and intravenous conscious sedation are available as a choice. Oral sedation with Alprazolam and Codeine is very effective for most oral surgical procedures especially the removal of impacted third molars and surgical placement of implants. It is this sedation regimen that comprises the synergistic use of both aprazolam and codeine to effect sedation with amnesia that is the standard procedure at the Faculty of Dentistry of the International Postgraduate Medical College. The purpose of this case report is to appraise the possible negative effect of Alprazolam and Codeine sedation mentioned above on a patient who presented with polycythaemia rubra vera (a very rare haematological condition). This is because the codeine component of this combination will depress the respiratory centre in the medulla oblongata putting the patient at risk. The case study is that of a 70-Year-old male patient who had been a regular patient for approximately 10 years ago at the Faculty of Dentistry, International Postgraduate Medical College (IPMC), where a total upper denture and a partial lower denture were placed. The patient returned in 2019 with the chief complaint of halitosis and pain in the mandibular posterior right region. The patient gave past medical history of PRV, epilepsy and hypertension and history of being on multiple medications for these conditions. The treatment plan advised was total extraction of the remaining mandibular dentition and excisional biopsy of the suspicious lesion mesial to the mandibular right first molar, together with a complete lower denture replacement. The procedure was done without sedation and at no time was the patient considered to be in danger as it relates to oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide drive to the brain and bleeding. Every hematologist managing patients with PRV will be very concerned as to how these patients are managed by dentists, particularly as it relates to oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide drive to the brain and hemostasis. Similarly, most dental practitioners that are managing such patients may not be familiar with the technicalities surrounding the clinical and operative management of these patients. It is for this reason that this case report focusing on oral surgical management of a patient with PRV is of significance to the dental literature, particularly as it aims to develop a working group for the development of the protocol for the management of PRV.

Complete denture replacement: a 20-year retrospective study of adults receiving publicly funded dental care.

There is little evidence as to what is the appropriate replacement interval for complete dentures. The aim of this study was to determine the longevity of complete dentures in a population of publicly insured adults across a 20 year observation period. The records of 187,227 Australian adults who accessed complete denture treatment through public clinics between 2000-2019 were assessed. Time to denture replacement was modelled using a Weibull regression and a competing risk regression to adjust for the competing risk of mortality. Over a 20-year period, 27.7% of dentures were replaced, with a mean longevity of 6.06 (SD: 3.93) years. Pairs of complete dentures had greater mean longevity than single dentures (p<0.001). Approximately 4.6% of dentures provided were replaced within 2 years; 18.4% were replaced between 2 and 10 years and 4.6% of replacements occurred after 10 years.Over 70% of adults who received a complete denture did not replace it during the observation period. Dentures provided by denturists had higher levels of replacement than those made by dentists. Participants over 80 years of age had lower rates of denture replacement. Low socio-economic status and living outside a major city were associated with reduced rates of replacement for dentures under 10 years of age. Complete dentures were commonly replaced after 6 years of service. Pairs of dentures lasted longer than single dentures.

Mandible Implant overdenture – A case report

Implant overdentures have ended up being one of the most incredible elective choices in prosthetic recovery of different instances of edentulism. They fulfill the patient's expectations, work on personal satisfaction with their drawn out workableness and unsurprising results. Throughout the long term, critical progressions have occurred in the embed frameworks and the strategies for connections. This paper depicts a case report in which a totally edentulous patient was restored with implant overdenture in mandible and a total denture replacement in the maxilla

Structural equation modeling for factors influencing patients' willingness to replace removable dentures.

To investigate the factors influencing patients' willingness to replace removable dentures using structural equation modeling (SEM). A total of 153 patients who sought consultations for removable dentures self-evaluated denture quality using a visual analog scale (VAS); health-related quality of life using the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey; and oral health-related quality of life using the Oral Health Impact Profile. Dental clinicians evaluated denture quality using a VAS and by assessing the presence of defects. After being informed of various treatments, patients were asked whether they would prefer denture replacement. SEM was applied to analyze the relationships and interactive effects among the variables. The final model showed high goodness-of-fit indices (chi-square/degree of freedom = 1.009, comparative fit index = 1.000, Tucker-Lewis index = 0.999, standardized root mean square residual = 0.421, and root mean square error of approximation = 0.008). SEM demonstrated that two latent constructs indirectly predicted patients' willingness to replace dentures; the standardized total effects of good oral health and poor denture quality were -0.154 and 0.503, respectively. These findings provide a unified understanding of the shared decision-making process for denture replacement and highlight the pretreatment assessments that play a relevant role in patient treatment preferences.

Survival Rate of Removable Partial Dentures with Mandibular Bilateral Free End Saddle: A Retrospective Study.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the survival of removable partial dentures with a mandibular bilateral free end saddle (BFES) and abutment teeth in a clinical setting. Only mandibular dentures with a BFES were included (10 or fewer present teeth, and fewer than 4 occlusal units). The endpoints were replacement of denture and loss of abutment teeth. A total of 128 dentures and 595 abutment teeth were analyzed. Nineteen dentures had to be replaced during the observation period (mean duration: 11.4±6.9 years; range: 3 to 36 years). According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the survival rate was 93.2% at 10 years and 68.6% at 20 years. The estimated mean survival period was 27.8 years. Single-factor analysis using the log-rank test showed that no factor investigated had a significant influence. The main reason for denture replacement was loss of abutment teeth (47.4%). The survival rate of the abutment teeth was 91.3% at 10 years and 77.3% at 20 years. The analysis revealed 4 significant risk factors: male sex (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.78); premolars (HR: 1.67); a lower number of abutment teeth (HR: 3.24); and history of endodontic treatment (HR: 2.79). The removable partial dentures with a mandibular BFES in this study lasted over 20 years, and their survival was influenced by loss of abutment teeth. Dentures are used continuously over long periods of time and should therefore be designed to allow easy adjustment when abutment teeth are lost.

Monolithic CAD/CAM Complete Overdentures for a Pedodontic Patient with Dentinogenesis Imperfecta and Limited Prosthetic Space: A Clinical Report.

Children affected by dentinogenesis imperfecta (DI) require restorative techniques or prosthodontic management to minimize the functional and psychosocial impacts of the condition. In cases of excessive wear of the deciduous dentition and moderate cooperation from the child, removable complete overdenture prostheses are the most suitable treatment option. However, limited restorative space is a technical challenge for the placement of such prostheses. Advances in digital technologies can help assist in the fabrication of monolithic prostheses with reduced thickness. The present clinical report describes the management of a moderately cooperative 7-year-old patient suffering from DI with severe tooth wear, reduced restorative space, and a high smile line. The design and fabrication of complete overdentures were performed using a digital workflow. This innovative monochromatic monolithic approach combined with the use of gingiva-shade composite resin respected the available restorative space while obtaining a natural esthetic appearance. Such a strategy requires regular denture replacement according to the child's growth and loss of deciduous dentition. An additional aim is to obtain the cooperation needed for a future global fixed rehabilitation over time.

Factors that influence the oral impact on daily performance of older people in Brazil: A cross-sectional population-based study.

To investigate factors that influence the oral health-related quality of life of older people (65years and over) in Brazil. Population-based studies should be conducted to support health-planning interventions. Data from the São Paulo State Survey on Oral Health (SBSP-2015), which consisted of 5951 individuals, were used. A theoretical-conceptual model was built based on the impact of family socio-economic characteristics, individual social-demographic features and self-perceived and clinical oral health status on the oral impact on daily performance (OIDP). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis was conducted at 5% significance level. Statistically significant variables included within the adjusted logistic regression model entered the multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Oral health impact on daily activities was observed in 34.6% of older people. Characteristics significantly related to impact on OIDP score were as follows: family income up to R$ 500 (OR=2.73), self-perceived treatment need (OR=1.33), self-perceived toothache (OR=1.52), self-perception of denture replacement need (OR=1.27), dissatisfaction (OR=1.50) or very dissatisfied (OR=2.57) with own oral health, partial lower denture use (OR=1.34) and needing partial lower dentures (OR=1.28). Increased number of people living in the same house (B=0.05, OR=1.06), number of bedrooms in the house (B=-0.10, OR=0.90), age (B=-0.03, OR=0.97) and number of teeth needing treatment (B=0.08, OR=1.08) contributed significantly to OIDP. Prevalence of OIDP of older people in the state of São Paulo was related to factors other than their clinical and self-perceived oral health status.

Survival rate of removable partial dentures with complete arch reconstruction using double crowns: a retrospective study.

The purpose of this study was to clinically investigate double-crown-retained removable partial dentures (DRPDs) and abutment teeth at dental clinics. Only cases with complete arch reconstruction were included. Endpoints were replacement of denture and loss of abutment tooth. A total of 213 dentures with 1030 abutment teeth were analyzed. During the observation period, 32 dentures were replaced. The mean observation period was 12.7 (± 6.6) years (range 3 to 36). By the Kaplan-Meier method, survival rate at 10years was 94.7% and at 20years was 70.8%. Estimated mean survival period was 27.1years. Cox regression analysis showed that risk factor for replacement was good occlusion as indicated by Eichner index groups A to B3 (HR 2.81). The main reason for denture replacement was loss of abutment teeth. Survival rate of abutment teeth at 10years was 83.8% and at 20years was 66.3%. The analysis revealed six risk factors: male gender (HR 1.76), age range 65-89years (HR 1.51), posterior teeth (HR 1.60), higher number of present teeth in opposite jaw (HR 1.69), lower number of abutment teeth (HR 1.76), and short inner crown (HR 2.28). DRPDs last over 20years, making them a durable investment in one's oral health; their survival is influenced by loss of abutment teeth. In cases where there are few teeth remaining in a jaw, DRPDs represent a suitable treatment that makes use of the remaining teeth, even if the abutment teeth are non-vital.

The Impact of Replacement Conventional Dentures on Eating Experience.

Despite much research on the impact of edentulism and prosthetic rehabilitation on food and nutrient intake, there is little information on how replacing complete dentures affects social and emotional issues around eating. To investigate, in a cohort study, how replacing conventional complete dentures affects eating-related quality of life (ERQoL). A secondary aim was to test the responsiveness of an Emotional and Social Issues Related to Eating (ESIRE) questionnaire to change in ERQoL. Participants, recruited from the Dental Hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK, completed the self-administrated ESIRE questionnaire before and after provision of new conventional complete dentures. Paired t test was used to determine any change between pre- and posttreatment ESIRE scores, which can range from 0 (poor) to 100 (excellent). Cohen's d effect size was used to measure the magnitude of change in ERQoL. Standardized response mean (SRM) was used to measure the responsiveness of the ESIRE questionnaire to changes in ERQoL. Fifty-five participants aged 52 to 85 y (mean, 72 y), including 21 males (42%) and 29 females (58%), completed the study. A statistically significant improvement in the total ESIRE scores was found, mean (SE) +20.3 (3.30), P < 0.001. Equally, all domains of the ESIRE questionnaire showed significant improvements: enjoyment of food/eating, +27.3 (3.63), P < 0.001; self-consciousness/embarrassment, +18.1 (3.88), P < 0.001; interruption to meals, +13.3 (5.27), P < 0.05; confidence when eating, +18.7 (4.84), P < 0.001; time for eating/preparation of meals, +18.5 (4.85), P < 0.001); and functional ability to eat, +18.2 (3.67), P < 0.001). Cohen's d was large (0.95) for the total score and ranged from medium (0.37) to large (1.30) for all domains. Value of SRM was large (0.87) for the total score and ranged from medium (0.36) to large (1.1) for all domains. Denture replacement can directly improve ERQoL. The ESIRE questionnaire was responsive to clinically important changes in ERQoL. The results of this study improve the understanding of the impact of denture replacement on eating-related quality of life (ERQoL). Clinicians are encouraged to pay more attention to the impact of wearing conventional complete dentures on social and emotional issues around eating. The findings should motivate clinicians and inspire specialists in prosthodontics and oral rehabilitation to continue providing conventional complete dentures as a suitable treatment option for edentulous patients.

An intervention study to test Locker's conceptual framework of oral health in edentulous elders.

To test a previously described conceptual framework of oral health in edentulous elders using an intervention study that included complete denture replacement. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was also conducted to substantiate construct validity. To date, the model proposed by Locker has been tested on edentulous elders using structural equation model (SEM) analysis. However, cross-sectional designs and the Short-Form Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) cannot adequately express cause-effect relationships and distribution in edentulous patients. Accordingly, the authors investigated Locker's model using an interventional design that included complete denture replacement using the OHIP for edentulous subjects (OHIP-EDENT). A total of 265 edentulous participants who visited the Dental Hospital of Tokyo Medical and Dental University (Tokyo, Japan) for new complete dentures were recruited. Locker's model was investigated, and CFA was performed using the change in subscale scores in the Japanese version of the OHIP-EDENT before and after complete denture replacement. CFA demonstrated an excellent model fit after adding several covariates. The Locker model also met the criteria of fit in all indices after 1 nonsignificant path was omitted. All path coefficients were significant. The findings of the present interventional study demonstrated an empirical fit to Locker's model in edentulous elders using SEM analysis, which included complete denture replacement. It is anticipated that clarification of causal mechanisms of oral health-related quality of life will lead to improvement of overall quality of life, thus maintaining or improving the activities of normal daily life for edentulous elders.

The Role of Antifungal Agents in Treating Denture Stomatitis

Dentures made from acrylic resin based polymeric systems were popular because of their ease of moulding, excellent esthetic appearance and suitable mechanical characteristics in most clinical conditions. However, these denture bases are easily colonized by oral microorganisms which can induce a chronic inflammatory response in the oral mucosa, described as denture stomatitis. The primary etiological factor for denture stomatitis is associated with the growth of Candida species on the fitting surface of the denture where there is less flow of saliva resulting in anaerobic conditions and decrease in pH. Other factors such as poor denture hygiene, continuous denture wearing, ill-fitting dentures, the amount of tissue covered by dentures, wearing denture at night, smoking, carbohydrate-rich diet and allergy to denture base material may also lead to denture stomatitis. The treatment for Candidiasis includes denture replacement, adoption of prophylactic measures by the patient and prescription of antifungal drugs. For elderly and institutionalized patients this treatment is further complicated because of factors such as loss of memory, difficulty in proper cleaning of the denture and following a strict routine of topical application of an antifungal agent. These limitations have encouraged the development of other methods of drug delivery, such as incorporation of antifungal agents into denture base materials. The rationale for the development of such material is to ensure delivery of antifungal agents at the site of action within minimum possible concentration. This paper discusses the types of antifungal agents incorporated into the denture base materials in order to prevent denture stomatitis.

Technical Quality of Complete Dentures: Influence on Masticatory Efficiency and Quality of Life

To evaluate the effect of the technical quality of conventional complete dentures (CD) on masticatory efficiency and quality of life (QoL) of denture wearers during a 1-year follow-up. A prospective clinical trial with 32 edentulous patients (mean age of 60.2 years) wearing mandibular and maxillary dentures was conducted. All patients were evaluated wearing their preexisting dentures and after 3, 6, and 12 months postinsertion of new dentures. A reproducible method for objective evaluation of the technical quality of CDs was employed. Masticatory efficiency was evaluated by the colorimetric method using beads as artificial testing food. The oral health impact on patient QoL was measured using the OHIP-EDENT (Oral Health Impact Profile in Edentulous Adults) questionnaire. The nonparametric Wilcoxon test was applied to reveal any differences in technical quality between the preexisting and new dentures. The Friedman test was used to detect differences in masticatory efficiency and oral health impact on QoL. Spearman's correlation was applied to reveal correlation between the variables. Comparing preexisting and new dentures, significant improvement was found in technical quality between the dentures (p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in masticatory efficiency. A significant decrease was found in the total OHIP-EDENT scores after denture replacement. A positive correlation was found between technical quality and OHIP in the new denture wearers (p = 0.011). According to the results of this study, denture quality significantly improved patients' oral health-related QoL; however, insertion of new dentures did not influence masticatory efficiency.

Predictors of Patient Satisfaction with Removable Denture Renewal: A Pilot Study.

Conventional removable dentures still play an important role in the treatment of lost teeth. A thorough understanding of the parameters that influence patient satisfaction is useful for deciding whether denture replacement is meaningful. From a clinical perspective, factors that can be measured before starting treatment are relevant. This pilot study investigated whether patient satisfaction after denture renewal was affected by aspects related to the old prostheses, type of jaw, and patient motivation for denture renewal. Fifty subjects (mean age 68.2 ± 8.4) were provided with 74 removable dentures (partial n = 20, complete n = 54). Satisfaction was assessed before treatment and 3 months after new prosthesis insertion. Total satisfaction 3-month post-insertion (TSP3) merged 6 individual satisfaction items measured after treatment. Change of total satisfaction 3-month post-insertion (CTS3) represented the difference of total satisfaction when old and new prostheses were compared. The effect of the following independent variables was investigated: reason patients requested new dentures (fit, esthetics, broken denture, wear, advice of dentist, extractions), satisfaction with the old prosthesis (general, retention, stability, comfort, pronunciation, chewing, esthetics), and technical quality of the old prostheses as assessed by a dentist (stability, retention, fit, border, wear, esthetics). Gender, age, and a cognitive screening test were included as confounding variables. Mann-Whitney-U tests and linear mixed model analysis were performed. All individual satisfaction items significantly improved with new prostheses for maxillary and mandibular jaws. TSP3 was higher for maxillary prostheses, if retention satisfaction with the old prosthesis was good, and if the dentist assessed the esthetics of the old prosthesis as deficient. CTS3 was associated with male gender, dissatisfaction with chewing before treatment, and dissatisfaction with esthetics before treatment. This pilot study showed that satisfaction 3 months after new denture insertion was associated with aspects of satisfaction and quality related to the old prosthesis, type of jaw, and gender. These factors may help dentists predict therapeutic benefits when deciding on the need for denture replacement. Further research should be done with a greater number of subjects and should include balanced quantities of the different types of dentures.

The Role of New Removable Complete Dentures in Stimulated Salivary Flow and Taste Perception.

To evaluate the effect of replacement of inadequate complete dentures on salivary flow and taste perception in geriatric patients. Thirty-three patients, 13 males and 20 females, with a mean age of 64.4 years were submitted to stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rate and salivary pH measurements, and sense of taste evaluation. Tests were performed 3 months before complete denture substitution and 3 weeks after denture insertion. The mean for unstimulated saliva (USS) was 2.1 ml before and 2.7 ml after replacement (p = 0.003). The mean volume of stimulated saliva was 6.3 ml before and 8.2 ml after replacement (p = 0.004). The pH mean of USS was 7.8 ± 0.44 before and 8.02 ± 0.41 after replacement (p = 0.005). No statistically significant difference was determined in the sense of taste before and 3 weeks after complete denture replacement. The replacement of inadequate complete dentures increases saliva flow; however, it does not improve taste perception.

Epidemiological Data and Survival Rate of Removable Partial Dentures.

The use of removable partial denture (RPD) is considered as low-cost and common treatment option to rehabilitate edentulous areas. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiological data of patients rehabilitated with removable partial denture (RPD) in order to assess treatment survival rate and failures. Epidemiological data and medical records of patients treated with RPD between 2007 and 2012 at the RPD discipline of a Brazilian University (Aracatuba Dental School- UNESP) were evaluated as well as dental records of patients who underwent RPD treatments (fabrication or repairs) between 2000 and 2010. Factors such as gender, age, presence of systemic disease, main complaint, edentulous arch, period and cause of denture replacement and the prosthesis characteristics were recorded. The chi-square test was used to assess the differences between the variables and the Kaplan Meyer to assess the survival of the RPDs evaluated. A total of 324 maxillary RPD and 432 mandibular RPD were fabricated. Most of the patients were women aging 41 to 60-year-old. The number of mandibular RPD Kennedy class I (26%) was statistically higher for the maxillary arch (p<.05). There was no association between main complaint to gender or the presence of systemic disease. The lingual plate was the most common major connector used in the mandible (32%). The main reason for altering the design of replaced RPDs were changes during treatment plan. The number of patients who require RPD is large; most of RPDs are Kennedy Class I. A good treatment plan is very important for achieving a positive treatment outcome, and it is strictly related to the survival rate.