Complications and Patient Satisfaction in Fully Edentulous Patients Treated with a Digital and Conventional Complete Denture, A Cross-Over Clinical Study.

Purpose: The objective of this clinical study was to evaluate comfort, satisfaction, chewing ability and complications with digital complete dentures (DCD) and conventional complete dentures (CCD).

Materials and methods: For 16 edentulous patients, two sets of upper and lower dentures were fabricated by students in a university dental clinic. The impression for the DCD was done using indirect scanning of the cast. When the patients were pain free, each set of dentures was worn for four weeks. OHIP-14 and a DSI (Denture Satisfaction Index)were used to measure patient satisfaction and chewing ability respectively. Both questionnaires were administered before fabrication and after wearing each set. Adjustments made during the follow up period were included. At the end of the study, patients could express which set of dentures they preferred. The 25 dental students involved in fabricating the dentures, were questioned in terms of discomfort, preference and future use for both techniques.

Results: OHIP-14 showed significantly higher scores for the DCD for the domain concerning psychological discomfort. DSI showed no significant difference for both sets of dentures. In terms of complications, a significant difference was found for occlusion. The DCD required more occlusal adjustments. A minority of the patients (37.5%) chose the DCD as their favourite set. The students preferred the wax try-in and workflow of the CCD.

Conclusions: The CCD and DCD showed differences in patient satisfaction. Chewing ability was comparable for both sets of dentures. More occlusal complications were seen in the DCD. Both students and patients preferred the CCD.