Treatment of Elderly Bedridden Patients with Removable Dentures to Promote Their Daily Physical Activities: A Case-Control Study

Bedridden patients remain in bed for various reasons, such as chronic illness, old age, and disability, and they cannot perform self-care activities completely or partially. The provision of care for bedridden patients is a major issue in the aging population. Effective rehabilitation is associated with several factors such as cooperation between the patient and the medical staff, selection of effective facilities, and the financial burden. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect on the activities of daily living (ADL) of occlusion restoration using removable dentures in bedridden older people. This case-control study comprised 32 bedridden older patients who were divided into two groups as follows: denture (n = 18) and no-denture (n = 14). No rehabilitation was provided to any of the patients. The patients were evaluated 3 months after placing the denture, and the ADLs were compared between the two groups. Of the 18 bedridden patients who received removable dentures, 55.6% demonstrated improvements in the ADLs, and the effects persisted for at least 3 months. No improvement in the ADL was observed in the no-denture group. The results of this study suggested that adequate occlusal support can improve the ADL of the elderly. Thus, it is important to take care of oral health early in life in order to maintain oral health, which could help prevent the decrease in the ADL during the later stages of life.