Oral Health-Related Quality of Life Changes after Clinical Remounting of Existing Dentures

Abstract

The clinical remount is an accurate and efficient way to reset the occlusion of delivered removable dentures if major occlusal correction is required. Although previous studies have reported that clinical remounting of existing dentures enhances patients’ oral function, little subjective feedback is available. This retrospective study reports short-term changes in oral-health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) and masticatory function after clinical remounting of existing dentures. Three time points were defined: before adjustment (T0), immediately after adjustment (T1), and 1 week after adjustment (T2). The medical records of seven patients were analyzed. The mean age of participants was 77.71 years, and the mean service period of their prostheses was 9.43 months. The mean scores of the OHIP-EDENT-J questionnaire at the respective time points were 35, 21.14, and 22.14. The mean readings of masticatory function at the respective time points were 76.71, 89.29, and 111.86. Significant differences in the OHIP-EDENT-J were found between T0 and T1, and T0 and T2; and in masticatory function between T1 and T2, and T0 and T2. The results indicated that after rebalancing of the occlusion of the existing dentures, the patient-reported OHRQoL was improved immediately and maintained at least for a short time, and masticatory function was enhanced over a 1-week period.