Factors Affecting the Selection of Denture Adhesive or Oral Moisturizers by Wearers of Maxillary Complete Dentures

No previous study has clarified the experience of using adhesives/moisturizers by comparing them to subjective evaluations of patient satisfaction. In an ultra-aged society, most elderly individuals experience many oral problems. Particularly, xerostomia and mal adaptation to dentures may lead to poor retention of maxillary complete dentures. Many patients use denture adhesives; however, the effects of these adhesives on denture cleaning and denture function are not well understood in many cases. Therefore, oral moisturizers are often recommended instead of denture adhesives. The purpose of this study was to clarify the selection criteria for denture adhesives or oral moisturizers in wearers of maxillary complete dentures. Twenty-five maxillary edentulous subjects were enrolled in this study. A denture adhesive and three oral moisturizers (liquid, gel, and spray) were administered for 3 days each. Patients were surveyed after each treatment (“the after-use questionnaire”) and at the end of the study (“the final questionnaire”). In the after-use questionnaire, the denture adhesive was evaluated highly for “stability,” “chewing,” “fitting,” and “retention” (P <0.05). On the final questionnaire, the denture adhesive was selected by 14 and the oral moisturizers by 11 of 25 subjects. Patients who selected the denture adhesive evaluated its “stability” and lack of an “uncomfortable feeling” highly; patients who selected the oral moisturizers evaluated the lack of a “dry feeling” highly (P <0.05). These results suggest that “stability,” an “uncomfortable feeling,” and a “dry feeling” were the driving criteria in choosing either the denture adhesive or an oral moisturizer.