Construction faults, age, gender, and relative medical health: factors associated with complaints in complete denture patients.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Many practitioners will experience a situation, whereby a patient with newly fabricated complete dentures continues to experience difficulty in adapting to them. This can lead to a protracted period of discouraging "adjustment appointments" that may not result in the eventual resolution of the problem. Therefore it is often concluded that there is some patient factor, either age, gender, medical, or psychologic status that is hindering the success of treatment. PURPOSE: This study examined a group of 100 patients who experienced ongoing difficulties with their new complete dentures, to determine possible underlying causes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted with information derived from patient records. All patients were treated by the same prosthodontist after having been referred specifically for their denture problems. Information regarding patient age, gender, medical and psychological histories, and information pertaining to the dentures at the time of presentation was derived from patient records. RESULTS: Statistical analysis comparing age, gender, and medical and psychologic status with the number or type of patient complaint failed to show any significant relationships. Significant relationships were observed when denture design faults or the condition of a patient's mucosa were compared with patient complaints. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that in most instances, complete denture patients present with complaints only when there is a real design fault or a tissue problem.