Impacts of Denture Retention and Stability on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, General Health, and Happiness in Elderly Thais

PURPOSE: This study investigated denture and patient related factors associated with oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of complete denture wearers and their association with general health and happiness. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study comprised 130 participants with complete edentulism, with maxillary and mandibular complete dentures treated at Chulalongkorn University Dental School during 2010-2017. The primary outcome was the presence of overall and domain-specific Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (OIDP). Secondary outcomes were diagnosed and perceived general health, and happiness. Denture retention and stability were classified as acceptable or unacceptable following the CU-modified Kapur criteria. Five esthetic-assessment criteria of the harmonization and proportions between facial and dental anatomical landmarks were measured from patient's photographs. Age, sex, previous complete denture experience, and denture age were recorded. The associations between each variable and oral impacts were analyzed using bivariate logistic regression, and the factors with p < 0.25 were further adjusted using multivariable analysis. Associations between oral impact scores and general health and happiness were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation. RESULTS: The most frequent oral impacts were on physical domain, while social domain was the least affected. Denture retention/stability was significantly associated with both overall and specific domains of oral impact. Happiness was found to be strongly correlated with perceived general health, but marginally with oral impact scores. CONCLUSIONS: Unacceptable complete denture retention and stability are substantial risk factors for impaired OHRQoL in complete edentulism. Maintaining optimal denture retention and stability in denture wearers is essential for good oral health and well-being with the goal of enhancing happiness.