Factors Affecting Patient Satisfaction with Complete Dentures

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation of the edentulous patients has always been a challenge. The success of conventional complete denture therapy might be affected by several factors such as patients' age, personality, previous denture wearing experience, expectations, aesthetics, residual ridge form and anatomy, denture quality, the method of its construction, dentist experience, and dentist-patient relations. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare patient satisfaction with complete dentures provided by fourth and fifth year dental students and prosthodontists with a minimum of 5 years' experience at the University of Jordan Hospital 8 weeks after insertion. METHODS: Questionnaires were distributed to a total of 60 completely edentulous patients who received complete maxillary and mandibular dentures. Besides demographic questions, the questionnaire included questions that probed the patient's satisfaction with his maxillary and mandibular dentures in general using two types of scales. RESULTS: Results indicated that dentist experience does not affect patients' satisfaction with their complete dentures. Our results also indicated that patients who had previous dentures could adapt more easily and were generally more satisfied with their newly inserted dentures especially with regard to their chewing ability and comfort with their mandibular dentures. Gender also influenced patient satisfaction with complete dentures especially the part related to psychological and social disability. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study will help in further understanding factors influencing patient satisfaction with their complete dentures.