Effect of digital complete dentures manufactured using the custom disk method on masticatory function

Statement of problem: The effect of using the custom disk method (CDM) for fabricating digital dentures on patients' masticatory function should be studied to support its use in clinical practice. Purpose: To investigate the effect of digital dentures fabricated using CDM on patients' masticatory function. Material and methods: This single-center prospective clinical study included 20 patients with edentulous maxillary and mandibular arches who used a complete denture. The digital impression and complete denture manufacturing procedures using CDM have already been reported by Kanazawa et al. (2018) [32] and Soeda et al. (2022) [18] Thedigital dentures fabricated with CDM were delivered to the participants, and periodic adjustments were made until the patient could use the denture without pain. A color-changeable chewing gum, two types of gummy jellies that can evaluate the masticatory function, and pressure-sensitive sheets were used to evaluate the participants' masticatory function at baseline, 1 month, and 6 months following adjustment of the new digital complete dentures fabricated with CDM. These masticatory function values had already been measured in the previous conventional dentures and were recorded as baseline values. Results: The study participants included 8 women and 12 men (mean age, 77.6 years). The color-changeable chewing gum analysis indicated that there was no significant improvement of masticatory function from baseline to 1 M (P = .083) and 6 M (P = .157).The gummy jelly analysis indicated no significant differences between the masticatory function baseline and 1 month (P = .387); however, a significant improvement was observed from baseline to 6 months (P = .020). Tests with Glucolum indicated a significant improvement from baseline to 1 month (P = .012) and 6 months (P = .003). The maximum bite force and occlusal contact area showed no significant difference at any time point. Conclusions: Significant improvement in masticatory function was observed upon evaluation with gummy jelly and Glucolum 6 months after delivering the new digital complete dentures. Under limited conditions, the digital denture fabricated using CDM resulted in good recovery of the masticatory function in elderly edentulous patients. The present results combined with the cost-effectiveness and patient satisfaction associated with CDM indicate its clinical utility.