Satisfaction level and masticatory capacity in edentulous patients before and after new complete dentures.

Purpose: Evaluation of the level of satisfaction and capacity, efficiency and masticatory performance in edentulous patients at 5 different times: old complete dentures; at installation day with the new complete dentures; after 2 weeks; 1 month and 3 months of usage. Materials and methods: Satisfaction level and masticatory capacity were analyzed using a questionnaire for edentulous patients, while the masticatory efficiency and performance were evaluated using tests performed on artificial chewable material. The patients triturated the material for 20 and 40 seconds (efficiency) and 40 chewing cycles (performance) and the fragments were separated using a system of sieves. Tests were performed in seven volunteers. Data were analyzed descriptively using SPSS 13.0. Results: In masticatory efficiency test with 20 s, there was a decrease in the average particle size from 8.33 mm to 6.37 mm. The same occurred for masticatory efficiency test with 40 s (7.09 to 5.12 mm) and for masticatory performance with 40 cycles (6.48 to 4.52 mm). Data from the questionnaires showed an increase in the satisfaction level of 43.99% to 95.5%, as in the masticatory capacity of 42.31% to 94.51%. Conclusion: The new rehabilitation increased efficiency and masticatory performance, as well as satisfaction and chewing abilit