PREVALENCE OF CLINICAL AND LABORATORY ERRORS IN COMPLETE DENTURE WEARERS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

A complete denture with accurately extended borders, an optimal vertical dimension, finely finished and polished with no irregularities and proper hygiene maintenance are prudent to the success of the denture. Any errors by the clinician or the laboratory may lead to loss of retention in the denture, worn out teeth, joint pain, soreness and others. A retrospective study was done in a university based setting in Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India. Ethical clearance was obtained from SRB Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, India. The data collection was done from the Dental Information Archiving System (DIAS). It is a recording system of all the data related to the medical and dental history of patients and the treatment done in Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India. Data of 86000 patients between june 2019 and march 2020 was reviewed from the patients records and analysed that was documented in Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India. Data of 409 patients with complete denture prosthesis with problems like loss of retention in the denture, worn out teeth, joint pain, soreness and others was analysed. The data entered was tabulated and analysed for the prevalence of these problems. Chi square test done to find any association with age and gender. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS Software for Windows, version 20.0. The prevalence of worn teeth was 33%, that of soreness was 20%, Joint pain was 15%, retention loss was 31% and others was 1% .The association of errors with gender was insignificant whereas association of errors with age was statistically significant(p<0.05). Based on the results it was concluded that complete denture wearers in the age group of 41-60 years have more prevalence of worn out teeth which may be attributed to increased occlusal forces. The age group of 61-80 and >80 years showed increased retention loss which could be due to increased resorption rates as age increases. Soreness could be due to continuous wearing of the denture or if any surface of the denture is left unpolished, joint pain could be due to an increased vertical dimension. These errors may also be the result of reduced skill as well as lack of communication between the clinician and the technician.