Surveyed Requirements for a New Denture by the Quality Function Deployment Method

Objective: The objective of this study was to survey, using the QFD (Quality Function Deployment) method, the qualities that the users including dentists, dental technicians and patients required for a denture in order to develop new dentures. Methods: A quality chart of a denture was obtained by the raw data collected from a questionnaire and the weight of required quality according to the QFD method. Subjects were 52 patients who had used dentures (27 males and 25 females, 25 to 84 years old), 32 dental technicians and 72 dentists (90 males and 14 females, 24 to 59 years old). A multivariate analysis (factor analysis) was performed on the obtained data. Results: The results by the QFD method showed that the highest weight of required quality was painless fit for the patients and was a lack of discoloration for the dentists and dental technicians. The result of the multivariate analysis revealed that the factors obtained from the patients were grouped into several areas such as hygiene, a close match to the natural tooth, durability and compatibility. The factors obtained from the dental technicians and dentists were grouped into the other areas such as aesthetics, taste, working efficiency and compatibility. The results of the required quality weights were found to be consistent with the factors analyzed by the multivariate study. Conclusion: From these findings, the quality required by the patients was different from that required by the dentists and dental technicians, so we need to take such different qualities into consideration for a new denture development.