Patient response to variations in denture technique. Part VII: Twenty-year patient status.

Sixty-four patients were originally treated with complete dentures. Two different techniques, complex and standard, were used with 32 patients assigned to each group. Patients were recalled for their 20th year recall and 34 of the original 64 patients returned. Of those 34 patients, 26 patients were still wearing their original dentures. All 26 patients were judged by three project clinicians to have clinically acceptable dentures. In addition, all but two stated that their dentures were clinically acceptable. Neither of these patients were unhappy with fit, but with the esthetics. One patient had worn his denture teeth by pipe smoking and the other had bleached the pink out of her denture bases. The remaining eight patients who still participate in the project have had modifications in their original dentures or have had new dentures constructed.