Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Brazilian Patients Wearing Three Types of Lower Dentures: Psychosocial and Clinical Aspects

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the oral health-related Quality of Life (QoL) of patients with edentulous lower jaws rehabilitated with conventional or implant-supported dentures. In the quest for greater QoL, especially among the elderly, it is important to evaluate how the use of dentures impacts physical and emotional well-being. Brazilian health care policy makers should be informed of the advantages of rehabilitation with implant-supported dentures. A cohort of 78 edentulous seniors was divided into three groups of 26 according to denture type: Conventional (CD), Implant-Supported Overdenture (IOD) and Fixed-Implant Prosthesis (FIP). To evaluate QoL, clinical and sociodemographic information was collected and the OHIP-20 questionnaire was administered, using a 5-point frequency scale, including a “don’t know” option. Chewing and pronunciation were less impacted in FIP and IOD than in CD (p=0.013 and p=0.027, respectively), while patients in the CD group reported more adaptation difficulties (p=0.006) and more frequent avoidance of hard-to-chew foods (p=0.032). The majority reported no interference of dentures with appearance and social life, regardless of denture type. Depending on the patient’s biological and financial circumstances, implant-supported dentures is the form of rehabilitation of edentulism providing the greatest improvement in QoL. The reported limitations and difficulties had no significant impact on satisfaction and QoL.