Prosthodontic Care and Its Impact on Daily Performance of Patients with Removable Partial Dentures

Objectives: This study assessed the impact of prosthodontic care on daily performance of patients with removable partial dentures (RPDs). Materials and Methods: This longitudinal study was conducted on consecutive patients over 20 years of age who required RPDs presenting to an outpatient prosthodontic clinic over a 2-year period (2022-2023). Data on socio-demographics, history of tooth replacement/denture use, maintenance practices, attendance to recall visits, and impact on daily activities were recorded after using the RPDs by the participants. Data were also collected over the course of recall appointments using structured questionnaires according to the American College of Prosthodontists’ denture care and maintenance guidelines and the oral impacts on daily performance (OIDP) questionnaire. Comparisons were made by the Kruskal Wallis and student t tests and multiple logistic regression (alpha=0.05). Results: A total of 332 participants with a mean age of 45.69±17.90 years were evaluated, including 49.7% males and 50.3% females. The highest percentage of recall visits was at 1 week (26.8%). Attendance at recall appointments (P=0.00) and sleeping with RPD (P=0.001) were significantly associated with OIDP scores. Sleeping with RPDs (P=0.001) was significantly related to, and acted as a predictor of OIDP score [X2(4)=15.46, P<0.04]. Conclusion: Recall attendance was low, and overnight denture use and frequent recall visits had a greater impact on daily activities than other factors. Sleeping with dentures was a predictor of impact of denture use on daily performance.