Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between patient satisfaction with removable partial dentures and denture maintenance by patients, including regular application of denture adhesives and cleansers.
Background: The success of removable partial dentures depends on patient satisfaction with dentures and their regular denture maintenance.
Materials and methods: Demographic information, the Oral Impacts on Daily Performance (OIDP) indicator and details of denture maintenance (including the use of denture cleansers and adhesives) were collected from 193 (41.5% men and 58.5% women) participants by using questionnaires. A dentist performed oral examinations to evaluate denture function according to the OIDP items photographically and recorded the number of remaining teeth and Kennedy's classification.
Results: Most participants were satisfied with their removable partial dentures and tended to have higher satisfaction levels than the dentist's estimation. Further, those using denture adhesives and cleansers had higher satisfaction levels than those not using such denture maintenance.
Conclusions: Appropriate education regarding denture use is important because regular denture maintenance by patients affects their degree of satisfaction with dentures, as well as the dentist's skill and the patient's oral condition. Dentists could use this information to predict the potential success of dentures.
© 2011 The Gerodontology Society and John Wiley & Sons A/S.