Differences in quality of life and patient satisfaction between complete denture occlusion schemes: A parallel randomized control trial

Statement of problem Bilateral balanced occlusion has been advocated over nonbalanced occlusion for improved removable complete denture stability and function. However, assessments of quality of life and patient satisfaction studies between the 2 occlusion schemes are lacking. Purpose The objective of this parallel randomized control trial was to determine the difference in quality of life and patient satisfaction between the nonbalanced and bilaterally balanced occlusal schemes. Material and methods Sixty participants were included in the parallel randomized control trial of nonbalanced and bilaterally balanced complete dentures. Thirty were recruited into each group with definitive inclusion and exclusion criteria as per the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) guidelines. Quality of life was estimated from the oral health quality of life (Oral Health Impact profile) for edentulous patients questionnaire, and patient satisfaction was analyzed from a visual analog scale. The estimation was made at 0, 3, and 6 months after denture insertion. The data were statistically analyzed with the Friedman, Mann-Whitney, and t test (α=.05). Results The mean ±standard deviation Oral Health Impact profile score was 60.81 ±8.87 for nonbalanced dentures and 64.12 ±8.98 for bilaterally balanced dentures. The mean ±standard deviation visual analog scale score was 2.84 ±0.28 for nonbalanced dentures and 2.90 ±0.31 for bilaterally balanced dentures. The Mann-Whitney and t test indicated nonsignificant differences between the 2 groups and at different time intervals for Oral Health Impact profile and visual analog scale scores (P>.05). Conclusions The study detected no significant differences between the 2 occlusal schemes in quality of life or patient satisfaction.