Functional assessment of dentures and patient satisfaction: correlation with masticatory performance and swallowing threshold

Author(s)

Sílvia Carneiro de Lucena

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Piracicaba, SP.
• Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba
• Defense date: 2010-08-13

Examining board members

Altair Antoninha Del Bel Cury; Claudia Maria Coelho Alves; Maria da Luz Rosário de Sousa

• Advisor: Altair Antoninha Del Bel Cury

Abstract

For a successful rehabilitation, it is important for complete dentures to accomplish adequate technical requirements and patients' satisfaction. Dentures wearers have pointed out an adequate mastication as the most important aspect of prosthetic rehabilitation, however, studies have suggested a poor association between patients' satisfaction and denture quality. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the relation between patients' and dentists' assessment of dentures and the correlation of these variables with objective measures of masticatory function. Twenty eight volunteers (five men and 23 women, mean age 71.1 years), who wore both complete dentures for at least 6 months, with good general health and no signs or symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorders, were selected. Their level of satisfaction with dentures was assessed on a visual analogue scale (scores from 0 to 100) and the technical condition of dentures were evaluated by an experienced dentist that attributed scores from 0 to 9 considering functional aspects. Tooth wear was also assessed on posterior teeth of dentures considering the presence of occlusal anatomy. The evaluations of masticatory function were performed using a sieving method in which the volunteers were instructed to chew portions of 17 cubes of a standardized artificial test food, Optocal. The masticatory performance (MP) was assessed after 40 masticatory cycles by the median particle size. The swallowing threshold (ST) was determined by the number of cycles performed until the time the volunteers felt the urge to swallow and by the median particles size of comminuted food. The correlation of functional assessment of denture by dentist with volunteers' satisfaction and masticatory function were calculated by Spearman's correlation coefficients. The correlation between volunteers' satisfaction scores and masticatory function was performed by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Student t test was used to compare satisfaction scores between upper and lower dentures and also to compare masticatory function of subjects wearing dentures with and without excessive tooth wear. The significance level was fixed at 95%. The mean general satisfaction score of the volunteers with both dentures was 49.1. The means satisfaction scores for upper dentures were superior to the lower ones for all factors evaluated but significant differences were observed only for stability (p=0.002). Dentures assessment by dentist had a median score of 6 and had no correlation with patients' satisfaction. The median particle size anchieved by volunteers for masticatory performance and swallowing thresholds was of 5.5 (±1.0) mm and 4.9 (±1.2) mm, respectively. Data of both masticatory tests showed no significant correlation with patients satisfaction scores (p>0.05). No significant correlation was observed between masticatory function and dentist evaluation of dentures (MP: r=-0.103; SWT: r=0.011) and there was no different of food comminution between subjects with and without excessive tooth wear. (MP: p=0.137; SWT: p=0.589). Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that there was no correlation between functional assessment of dentures and patients' satisfaction and no correlation was observed between these variables and masticatory function (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 08/02122-8 - Denture condition: influency on masticatory efficiency, volatile sulfur compounds, biofilm formation and transmissibility of microrganisms
• Grantee: Sílvia Carneiro de Lucena
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master