Comparison of patient's satisfaction level with complete dentures fabricated by neutral zone technique and conventional technique

ABSTRACT

The objective of the study was to compare the satisfaction level of edentulous patients provided with complete dentures that were fabricated by either the neutral zone technique or the conventional technique. For this a quasi experimental comparative study [Phase 2 trial] was carried out at Department of Prosthodontics, Armed Forces Institute of Dentistry, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from September 2006 to February 2008. Sixty edentulous patients were included in the study and randomly placed into two groups. Complete dentures were fabricated for these patients; by the neutral zone technique for Group A and by the conventional technique for Group B. The satisfaction level of patients was assessed after six months of denture insertion with the help of a questionnaire. In Group A, 8 were highly satisfied, 19 fairly satisfied and 3 poorly satisfied while in Group B, 3 were highly satisfied, 16 fairly satisfied and 11 poorly satisfied. Chi-square test revealed a significance of 0.03 [P < 0.05] regarding comparison of patient's satisfaction level in both the study groups. It was concluded that dentures fabricated by neutral zone technique were more stable and functionally better than conventional dentures