Complications and Patient Satisfaction in Fully Edentulous Patients Treated with Digital and Conventional Complete Dentures: A Crossover Clinical Study.

Purpose: To evaluate comfort, satisfaction, chewing ability, and complications with digital complete dentures (DCDs) and conventional complete dentures (CCDs).

Materials and methods: For 16 edentulous patients, two sets of maxillary and mandibular 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 4 weeks. The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) and the Denture Satisfaction Index (DSI) 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 DCDs for the domain concerning psychologic discomfort. The DSI showed no significant difference for both sets of dentures. In terms of complications, a significant difference was found for occlusion. DCDs required more occlusal adjustments. A minority of the patients (37.5%) chose DCDs as their favorite set. The students preferred the wax try-in and workflow of the CCDs.

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