Denture Adhesive Reduced Food Entrapment Under Removable Full Dentures

Objectives: Bothersome entrapment of food beneath dentures is a common occurrence among users of complete dentures. Use of denture adhesives is reported to improve denture comfort and stability, and to qualitatively reduce food entrapment during eating. Our aim was to quantitatively assess the ability of adhesives to reduce food entrapment beneath full dentures during eating. Methods: 54 edentulous adults with well-made and well-fitting mandibular and maxillary complete dentures were randomized to a 3-way crossover study which compared Super Poligrip® Free (PGF) denture adhesive and an unmarketed adhesive cream formulation (UMC) to a control condition of no adhesive use against a primary endpoint of sub-denture food entrapment during eating. Food entrapment was quantitatively measured by collecting and weighing residue from beneath the dentures after having chewed and swallowed 32 grams of a peanut test meal. Secondary outcomes assessed denture retention and stability (Kapur Index) and subject-perceived denture movement during the test meal. Pair-wise Dunnett adjustment of multiple comparisons was performed at 5% level to compare each adhesive to no adhesive. There was no statistical comparison between UMC and PGF. Results: Without adhesive, the quantitative amount of peanut residue entrapped was over 2-fold greater beneath the mandibular than the maxillary denture. UMC and PGF reduced food particle entrapment beneath the mandibular denture by at least 74% (p<0.0001), and the maxillary denture by 60% and 33% (p<0.05), respectively. Both adhesives significantly improved retention and stability, and decreased subject perceived wobble (7-point scale) for both maxillary and mandibular dentures when eating the peanut test meal (all p<0.0001). No treatment-related adverse events were reported for either adhesive. Conclusion: Among persons using well-fitting complete dentures, use of Poligrip® denture adhesive significantly reduced food entrapment beneath dentures during eating. Use of an adhesive also improved denture retention and stability and reduced perceived movement during eating.