Patient Satisfaction and Oral Health-related Quality of Life (ohrqol) of Edentulous People after Mandibular Denture Relining With a Soft-liner Material: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Background: Oral health-related quality of life indicators have been effectively used to assess the influence of a range of dental treatments and interventions on patient satisfaction and acceptance. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the relining of mandibular dentures with a soft-liner material, using the Oral Health Assessment Index (OHIP-14). Methods: Forty-two full denture wearers were selected from patients who attended 9 private prosthetic clinics in New South Wales, Australia. All participants had their lower dentures relined with a soft-liner material, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Oral health-related quality of life was evaluated before and 1 month after relining using the Oral Health Assessment Index questionnaire. A simple descriptive quantitative analysis of the survey results was undertaken, including a comparison of median scores using the Wilcoxon paired test and binomial probability test. Results: In all the outcome variables measured, there was a noticeable positive effect from the denture relining. Specifically, mandibular denture relining with a silicon-based soft-liner material has a positive impact on patient satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of edentulous patients. Conclusion: Patient satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of edentulous patients can be significantly improved by the use of soft-liner materials.