Patient reported outcomes on different occlusal schemes in complete denture wearers

Abstract

The Purpose of the Study: The main objectives of this study were to identify the best occlusal scheme (Lingualised, Balanced and Monoplane) for different ridge quantities, and which occlusal scheme provides better comfort, function and denture satisfaction for the patient wearing dentures. This study will further improve existing knowledge on denture satisfaction and patient comfort.

The Research Question: Do different occlusal schemes affect patient reported outcomes in complete denture wearers?

The Methods used: Sixty Patients were chosen to take part in the study. The observational period was of three months. Sixty patients were randomly divided into three groups of twenty participants each. Each group was given a denture having a different occlusal scheme, in a randomized manner. All patients were blinded to the study. A checklist, to include all possible variables together with three questionnaires were used to gather results. The questionnaires that were used in the study were The Denture Satisfaction Questionnaire, General Oral Health Assessment Index and Oral Health Impact Profile-14. The checklist was asked during the first appointment, while the questionnaires were filled at different time points of the three-month observational period.

The overall findings and conclusions: There was no difference between the occlusal schemes for denture satisfaction and the quality of life. This means that there is no preferred occlusal scheme for any ridge quantity type. In general, denture satisfaction and quality of life increased over time.

Recommendations and implementations for practice: We noted the following limitations to our study; • Each patient was given only one type of occlusal scheme and so, results were subjective. If all patients had received the three occlusal schemes in a cross over study, we would have been able to compare the results individually. • Sample size was not large enough and the timeframe was small. If a larger sample size had been recruited, it would have been more representative of the whole community. If conducted over a longer timeframe, results would have been more accurate. Thus, it is recommended that a future study should be conducted over a longer period of time and with a larger sample size.