Removable Dental Prostheses and Handgrip Strength in the Elderly Population of the Chilean Public and Private Health System

Introduction: Removable dental prostheses (RDPs) are essential for chewing, nutrition, and preventing geriatric syndromes in older adults. Evidence regarding their benefits varies. Objective: To compare two groups of elderly individuals aged 70 and above from public and private health systems, assessing changes in hand grip strength (HGS) adjusted for masticatory function, malnutrition risk, and body mass index (BMI) after using dental prostheses. Method: A prospective pre–post study. Between March 2020 and 2023, elderly individuals aged 70 or older who used public and private health systems and lacked molars and premolars were included. They were categorized based on chewing ability according to the Eichner index and assessed for malnutrition risk using calf circumference (CC) and BMI. HGS was measured at baseline and 15 days after prosthetic use using a hydraulic manual dynamometer (Jamar™). Differences in HGS were analyzed with a mixed linear regression model using SAS 9.4 software (p < 0.05). Results: n= 248 (124 public/124 private), sex 73/73 women (p > 0.05), ages 81.2/75.2 years (p < 0.0001), and malnutrition risk based on CC 5/31 (p < 0.0001). In a multivariate model adjusted for sex, age, BMI, and malnutrition risk, the HGS before using prostheses was 22.8 kg/11.7 kg (Δ = 11.1 kg; p < 0.0001), and afterwards it was 23.0 kg/14.2 kg (Δ = 8.8 kg; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: RDPs immediately improved HGS in older adults from both public and private health systems, with significant differences of up to 8.8 kg between the two groups.