Depression: a psychologic consideration in complete denture prosthodontics.

When the complete denture population was examined for depression with the BDI, the greatest prevalence of depressive symptoms was found to coincide with the age groups that included the greatest proportion of denture wearers. An awareness by the dentist of high-risk groups for depression within the patient pool may help explain difficulties in achieving patient satisfaction with dentures, facilitate recognition of a problem, and make possible appropriate referral for diagnosis and treatment.

Quality of care: compared perceptions of patient and prosthodontist.

The results suggest that, with the exception of retention, differences between patients' and prosthodontists' perceptions of treatment with complete dentures display greater variability with regard to function than to either esthetics or comfort. Although the literature has suggested that satisfying the esthetic concerns of the patient is likely to be a major hurdle in denture treatment success, this study suggests that occlusion, retention, and vertical dimension may be of more importance to effective communication. Misconceptions and unreal expectations should be dealt with early in the treatment program to avoid patient dissatisfaction. During the 1972 International Prosthodontic Workshop held in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the statement was made that patients were generally an unreliable guide as to the adequacy of their dentures, especially after wearing them for a period of time, and that further research to document the patient's reliability seemed unnecessary. This study has demonstrated that patients are quite reliable judges of many criteria related to dentures, provided channels for two-way communication are opened. With the ever greater economic stresses that force dentists to consider patients' concerns, perhaps it is increasingly the dentist's responsibility to better educate patients to evaluate all aspects of the quality of care they receive and encourage extensive two-way communication early in the treatment process. The adjusted quality assessment criteria used in the present study may be a useful instrument to use with patients prior to the initial interview in an effort to establish a better dentist-patient relationship.

Denture aesthetics: an evaluation of laymen's preferences.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the lay public perceives anterior teeth selected by William's typal matching method as aesthetically pleasing. The theory was tested by laymen responding to questions about photographs of three edentulous male and three edentulous female patients. These patients were selected as representatives of square, tapering, and ovoid facial forms. The photographs were portrait views of the patients wearing different dentures displaying square, tapering, and ovoid teeth. Substantiation for typal match was found in the square female, square male, and the ovoid female patients. Responses to the photographs demonstrated a preference for square tooth forms over ovoid, and then tapering. Overall, ovoid teeth were preferred for females and square teeth were preferred for males.

Denture plaque control and inflammation in the edentulous patient.

The relationship between denture base plaque and mucosal inflammation under complete dentures was tested by clinical comparison with the PTI and a comparable plaque-scoring technique. Two treatment groups, one of which practiced tissue-brushing only and the other denture-brushing only, were compared with a control group with regard to mucosal inflammation and denture plaque score. Significant reduction in inflammation occurred, although no reduction in denture base plaque score was found. The effect of denture plaque on denture stomatitis and the efficacy of denture-brushing as a plaque removal technique is challenged.