Impact of Different Palatal Contour Designs on Patients' Satisfaction and Oral Health Related Quality of Life

The palatal rugae, refer to asymmetrical and irregular elevations of the mucosa located in the anterior third of the palate, on each side of the median palatal raphe and behind the incisive papilla. The lack of the rugae area on the polished areas of the dentures has been suggested to impact phonetics in denture patients due to lack of tactile feedback. Therefore, the aim of this randomized crossover clinical trial was to compare patients' reported satisfaction with their complete dentures and oral health related quality of life, when provided with a denture with a rough palatal surface in the rugae area compared with a polished palatal surface or an open palatal surface.

The use of dentures could impact the patients' phonetics which could impact their speech. Phonetics could be affected by multiple factors such as having a proper occlusal vertical dimension, proper occlusal plane, correctly positioned anterior and posterior teeth, and adequate contouring of the palatal surface. The lack of the rugae area on the polished areas of the dentures has been also suggested to impact phonetics in denture patients. The palatal rugae, refer to asymmetrical and irregular elevations of the mucosa located in the anterior third of the palate, on each side of the median palatal raphe and behind the incisive papilla. In addition to enhancing phonetics, the precise reproduction of the rugae in the complete dentures has been suggested to enhance mastication, deglutition and better taste perception. However, these suggestions were based on empirical evidence. Many studies have described methods for replicating the patients rague on complete dentures or modifying the palatal area, however there are no clinical study to ascertain or negate the impact of this procedure. Therefore, the aim of this randomized crossover clinical trial was to compare patients' reported satisfaction with their complete dentures and oral health related quality of life, when provided with a denture with a rough surface in their rugae on the anterior palatal area as opposed to a polished palatal surface or an open palatal surface. The null hypothesis was that there would be no difference in patients' reported satisfaction rate using visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oral Health Impact Profile for Edentulous Patients (OHIP-EDENT) Questionnaire response between the three types of palatal contours after using each type for two month post-delivery.