Loss of natural dentition: multi-level effects among a geriatric population

Objective: To quantify the impact of edentulousness on residual ridge volume, denture stomatitis (DS), as well as oral health behaviours among geriatric denture-wearers. Background: Residual ridge resorption (RRR) is the primary intraoral complication of complete edentulism, but individual variation among geriatric patients has been observed. Materials and methods: Data collection relied upon a 10-year retrospective chart review of all complete denture-wearing geriatric patients presenting at the Removable Prosthodontics Clinic, Dental School of Athens, between 1993 and 2002. Analyses relied on descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate methods based on ordinal logistic regression. Results: A total of 873 records of geriatric patients (age mean = 72; median = 70; range = 65-95) comprised our analytical sample. Subjects' mean (SD) time since edentulation was 7.7 (10.2) years. Eleven percent were diagnosed with temporomandibular disorder (TMD). While 28% of patients reported cleaning their dentures at least daily, 6% presented with denture stomatitis (DS). Each added year of edentulism increased the odds of mandibular RRR: OR (95% CI) = 1.05 (1.03, 1.07). Nightly denture wear was the strongest risk factor for DS. Finally, independent of age and sex, each year of being edentulous increased the odds of presenting with TMD: OR (95% CI) = 1.03 (1.01, 1.05). Conclusion: Time since edentulation was strongly associated with mandibular but not maxillary RRR, as well as TMD development.