A study to compare the oral health impact profile and satisfaction before and after having replacement complete dentures in England and Scotland.

Objective:  To assess the oral health impact profile (OHIP) on edentulous subjects in Scotland and England who needed to have their dentures replaced, and to determine whether any change in the subjects’ assessment of their original and replacement dentures impacted on oral health related quality of life parameters. Background:  The loss of all teeth may impact on functional activities. The OHIP is an instrument used to measure subjects’ perception of the social impact of oral disorders on their well being. Methods:  A total of 58 edentulous subjects were studied. Subjects completed the OHIP-14 questionnaires before and after being provided with a set of replacement complete dentures. They also assessed specific features of the upper and lower dentures. Responses were recorded on a Likert scale. Results:  For many subjects, the responses in the before treatment questionnaires were at the lower end of the Likert scale, indicating that there were no major impacts on oral health related quality of life parameters. There were significant improvements in four of the 14 OHIP parameters assessed after treatment. With the new dentures, subjects expressed improved satisfaction, particularly for the lower prosthesis. There were no major differences between the responses of the subjects in Scotland and England. Conclusion:  For this group of edentulous subjects, although they may need dentures to be replaced after a period of wear, this does not necessarily have significant social impacts. For this reason the provision of new dentures did not result in major changes to the OHIP.