RESUMO
BACKGROUND: Wearing complete denture in one or both arches can impact enjoyment of eating and affect quality of life compared with being dentate. Clinicians focus on issuing technically sound dentures but ignore the impact of wearing dentures on the eating-related quality of life which affects the success of treatment. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this research was to qualitatively explore ERQoL in Australian adults wearing complete dentures using a validated questionnaire and through focus groups. METHODS: Complete denture wearers (n = 44) were recruited from dental clinics and invited to complete the self-administered Emotional and Social Issues Related to Eating questionnaire. Responses were categorised under the six questionnaire domains. A subsample of 20 participants who completed the questionnaire were invited to participate in focus groups to identify emerging themes. RESULTS: Twenty-three participants (52.3%) completed the questionnaire. Most participants expressed a decline in enjoyment of eating due to reduced ability to eat, longer chewing times and the need to frequently clean dentures while eating. Focus groups (n = 2 × 4 participants) indicated educational materials on eating with dentures would increase recognition of eating problems with dentures and reduce trial and error approaches to dealing with these. CONCLUSION: ERQoL is adversely affected by wearing complete dentures due to functional limitations, restricted food choices and adaptive eating behaviours. Patient support for eating well with a complete denture/s wearers is required.