Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether edentulous patients with a permanent acrylic resilient liner denture (RLD) in mandibles exhibit significant improvements in their satisfaction ratings at the first appointment following the delivery of RLD dentures when compared to those with conventional heat-activated acrylic resin dentures (ARD) in mandibles.
Methods: Seventy-four subjects were randomly allocated into RLD and ARD groups by a random permuted block within the strata method after written informed consent. A parallel-randomized controlled clinical trial at two centers was conducted from April 2004 to July 2006. The outcomes were satisfaction ratings with a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS) involving general satisfaction as well as satisfaction related to chewing, speaking, cleaning, stability, retention, comfort, and esthetics. The pain rating was also measured by the VAS. The outcomes were analyzed by Student t-test and Pearson's correlation coefficient.
Results: A significant difference between the RLD and ARD group in the maxillary denture was only obtained in the satisfaction rating of speaking. A significant difference between the RLD and ARD groups for the mandibular dentures was obtained in every satisfaction rating. The pain rating of the RLD group was significantly lower than that of the ARD group. The satisfaction ratings of mandibular denture functions significantly correlated with ratings of comfort and pain.
Conclusion: Despite the limitation of a short-term observation, the mandibular satisfaction ratings were dramatically higher in RLD wearers than in ARD wearers.