Mona Aboelnagga
Diabetic patients usually suffer from a high prevalence of oral complications including xerostomia. In addition, periodontal disease can lead eventually to tooth loss if untreated. Oral health related quality of life (OHRQL) in diabetic patients is an important issue considering the interaction between diabetes and oral health problems. In this research, the objective is to discover and evaluate the role of the removable prosthesis on improving patients’ OHRQL in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah. This is an Observational cross-sectional descriptive retrospective study. The sample was collected from faculty of Dentistry clinics at Taibah University using multi-stratified random sample. The sample selected was diabetic patients wearing removable partial or complete dentures. The sample size was conducted by estimating the population number (sample size = 80 patients). 80 questionnaires have been spread among 80 patients, 71 have been responded. This study included diabetic patients who received removable dental prosthesis only (even if prosthesis has been done in Taibah University clinics or elsewhere). 71 patients were collected from Taibah University Dental College (TUDC) clinics in Al Madinah Al-Munawarah. 39 (92.9%) of patients wearing complete dentures and 28 (96.6%) of patients wearing partial dentures were satisfied regarding esthetic. Thirty-five (83%) of patients wearing complete dentures and 24 (82.8%) of patients wearing partial dentures were satisfied regarding improvement of speech. Patients wearing complete dentures were 35 (83.8%) compared to 19 (65.5%) of whom wearing partial dentures were satisfied regarding improvement of eating. 100 % of the patients who had their denture since 1-3 years are satisfied about esthetic. The satisfaction of eating among patients who had their dentures for more than 3 years is 81.5 %. Within the limitations of this study it was found that: 1) Diabetic patients, whether wearing partial or complete dentures, were satisfied with their prosthesis in esthetics, speaking and eating. 2) Regarding duration of wearing, their satisfaction wasn’t changed regarding eating and speech, but decreased in esthetic.
