A randomized clinical trial comparing retention of complete dentures and oral health quality of life of patients with conventional and bioelectric impressions.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to comparatively evaluate the retention of complete dentures and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of patients with conventional and bioelectric impressions or transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS).

Materials and methods: A total of thirty (n = 30) completely edentulous patients were randomly distributed into two groups: Group-C (n = 15) (Conventional) and Group-T (n = 15) (bioelectric). In Group C, border molding was performed using the manual manipulation of borders, and the final impression was made using zinc-oxide eugenol. In Group T, border molding and final impression were performed with the TENS application. Dentures were fabricated, and retention was evaluated with a digital gauge. OHRQoL was assessed at insertion and after three months of follow-up using the Oral Health Impact Profile Edentulous in Hindi (OHIP-Edent-H) questionnaire. A two-way ANOVA test was used for the significance level (P < 0.05). Student t-test was used for intergroup comparison, and paired t-test was used for intragroup comparison of OHRQoL.

Results: There was no significant difference in the retention of maxillary and mandibular dentures fabricated with both techniques (P = 0.283, P = 0.682). Although, OHRQoL increased significantly in both groups at follow-up (P = 0.001). However, at follow-up, the Functional Limitation (FL) domain was significantly better in the conventional group.

Conclusions: Although, there was no significant difference in retention and OHRQoL between both groups. However, more clinical trials with large samples and longer follow-ups are required to reach a conclusive result.