GD561 - Effect of xerostomia and salivary flow on adaptation to conventional complete dentures-GD561

GD561 - Article

Pdf Summary

This in vivo study examined whether xerostomia and salivary flow affect how well patients adapt to new conventional complete dentures (CDs). Forty denture users completed questionnaires about dry mouth and underwent salivary flow testing under both unstimulated and stimulated conditions at two time points: immediately after denture placement and again 4 to 5 months later. The study also recorded the type of saliva (serous or mucous) and how many follow-up visits were needed for denture adjustment.<br /><br />Results showed that xerostomia was common, but it did not significantly affect denture adaptation. Nor was xerostomia linked to sex or saliva type. In contrast, salivary flow did influence adaptation: patients with higher salivary flow needed fewer return visits for adjustments, while those with lower flow required more. Stimulated saliva flow was consistently higher than unstimulated flow, and unstimulated flow decreased slightly at the later follow-up. However, saliva type did not correlate with the presence of dry mouth.<br /><br />The authors concluded that salivary flow is an important factor in adapting to conventional CDs, but the subjective feeling of xerostomia alone does not predict adaptation problems. They recommend evaluating both dry mouth symptoms and salivary function in edentulous patients, since reduced saliva may create additional challenges in achieving comfortable, stable denture use.

Keywords

xerostomia

salivary flow

complete dentures

denture adaptation

edentulous patients

unstimulated saliva

stimulated saliva

denture adjustments

oral dryness

prosthodontics