Relation Between Clinical Complete Denture Status and Subjective Need of Treatment

Objectives: This study assessed the state of complete dentures in a group of elderly home residents and quantified the association between subjective perception and clinical evaluation about the need of treatment. Methods: From a population of 272 residents of all nursing homes in Menorca Island (Spain), edentulous subjects were selected for the study. Each subject was submitted to an oral examination and an evaluation of retention, stability, and occlusion of complete dentures and was asked for a self-report of comfort, efficacy, and occlusion of their dentures. A Spearman correlation was done to test positive and negative significant associations. Results: 225 institutionalised older adults were examined. 143 subjects had no teeth. 55% wore both maxillary and mandibular complete denture and 5% wore either maxillary or mandibular denture. Among subjects who wore maxillary denture, retention, stability and occlusion were bad in 72%, 74% and 75% of the cases, respectively. However, 17% of cases reported that their maxillary denture was not comfortable, 32% reported it was not efficient, and 32% reported it had a bad occlusion. Among subjects who wore mandibular denture, retention, stability and occlusion were bad in 83%, 83% and 76% of the cases, respectively. However, 21% of cases reported that their maxillary denture was not comfortable, 33% reported it was not efficient, and 33% reported it had a bad occlusion. A high and significant correlation between retention, stability and occlusion was observed both on maxillary and mandibular dentures. A high and significant correlation between self-report of comfort, efficacy and occlusion was observed both on maxillary and mandibular dentures. No significant association was found between oral examinations and self-report. Conclusions: The elderly residents of nursing homes in Menorca had a poor complete denture status. The high prevalence of needs for prosthodontic treatment contrasts with the low prevalence of seeking treatment.