Retention Of Removable Dentures Research Articles

Maxillary reservoir denture to overcome radiation-induced xerostomia – Light at the end of the tunnel

Xerostomia is a subjective symptom of dry mouth. It can occur as a part of the systemic disease, drug-induced side effect, or following therapeutic radiation therapy to the head-and-neck region. The primary complication faced by these xerostomic patients is the difficulty in retention of removable dentures. It is important to recognize that the prosthodontic management of these patients requires special attention and care. In an attempt to overcome the presence of xerostomia, several techniques of introducing reservoirs into the dentures containing salivary substitutes have been proposed. This case report presents a simplified approach for the construction of a reservoir in the maxillary denture, specifically in patients where other treatment modalities have failed. This technique provided excellent lubrication to oral tissues, hygienic for the patient, and utilized routine denture base material.

Short-term post-operative pain and discomfort following insertion of mini-implants for retaining mandibular overdentures: a randomized controlled trial.

The retention of removable dentures by mini-implants is a relatively recent treatment modality and may lead to minimal post-operative trauma. This study compared post-operative pain and discomfort following the insertion of mini-implants (two or four) or two standard-size implants for the retention of mandibular overdentures. One hundred and twenty edentulous participants (mean age 59.5 ± 8.5 years) were randomly allocated into three groups according to received treatment: (GI) four mini-implants, (GII) two mini-implants or (GIII) two standard implants. Seven days after implant insertion, patients answered questions (100-mm VAS) relating to pain, swelling, and discomfort with chewing, speech and hygiene, considering their experiences during the 1st and 6th day. Groups were compared by two-way anova (α = 0.05). All participants (GI: 38; GII: 42; GIII: 40) were analysed after 7 days. At the 6th day, GI felt significantly higher pain than GII and GIII. GI also reported more difficulty in performing oral hygiene practices than GIII during the 1st day. There was no significant difference between groups for the other questions and periods. No participant suffered unexpected side effects. The use of four mini-implants induces more intense post-operative pain at the 6th day than the insertion of two mini- or conventional fixtures, as well as more difficult oral hygiene on the 1st day. Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01411683; FAPESP, 2011/00688-7 and 2011/23347-0.

Factors associated with oral health-related quality of life in institutionalized elderly

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate factors associated with the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of institutionalized elderly in Germany. Material and Methods. One-hundred-and-fifty-eight subjects from old people's homes were selected (mean 82.8 years). OHRQoL was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP). Denture characteristics (kind and age of denture, retention of removable denture, number of teeth in static occlusion) and general issues (age, gender, education level, and general pain status) were assessed. All factors were subjected to bivariate testing for their effects on the OHIP summary score (OHIP-SC) and to multivariate testing in subjects with removable dentures (n=128); a linear regression model with backward elimination was used, with OHIP-SC as the dependent variable. Results. In the context of other studies, a median OHIP-SC of 29 indicated highly impaired OHRQoL. According to the bivariate analysis, retention, age of denture, number of teeth in static occlusion, general pain status, and education all exhibited significant influence on OHIP-SC. In the final linear regression model, general pain status, education level, and retention of denture remained at a statistically significant level. The model explained 34% (R2=0.34) of the variance of the OHIP-SC. The kind of denture had no significant impact on OHIP-SC. Conclusions. In contrast to other groups, the kind of denture exhibited little impact on OHIP-SC for this highly specific collective. However, there were functional aspects of dentures which seemed to be important. Non-dental factors had a striking effect on OHRQoL.