One of the major findings in this study was the detection of periodontal pathogens, A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis, in the edentulous subjects, as these species were thought to disappear after removal of all natural teeth. This finding has implications regarding future dental treatment and the general health of individuals. Distinct patterns of microbial colonization were seen on the different soft tissue surfaces. Thus, this investigation provided the first step in defining the organisms that are associated with edentulous patients on both soft (mucosa) and hard surfaces (denture). The study also provided meaningful data that described microbial ecological relationships in the oral cavity of edentulous subjects. The authors believe that this study is the first comprehensive assessment of the microbiota in the complete denture-wearing subject.

Background and objective Surfaces and fluids can affect oral bacterial colonization. The aim of this study was to compare re-developing biofilms on natural teeth and dentures. Methods Supragingival plaque samples were taken from 55 dentate subjects and the denture teeth of 62 edentulous subjects before and after professional cleaning. Also, samples from 7 “teeth” in randomly selected quadrants were collected after 1, 2, 4 and 7 days of no oral hygiene. Samples were analyzed using checkerboard DNA-DNA hybridization. Counts and proportions of 41 bacterial taxa were determined at each time point and significant differences were sought using the Mann-Whitney test. Ecological succession was determined using a modified moving window analysis. Results Mean total DNA probe counts were similar pre-cleaning but were higher in dentate subjects at all post-cleaning visits (p<0.01). Pre-cleaning edentate biofilms had higher counts and proportions of Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus oralis and Streptococcus mutans, whereas dentate subjects had higher proportions of Tannerella forsythia, Selenomonas noxia and Neisseria mucosa. By 2 days, mean counts of all taxa were higher in natural teeth and most remained higher at 7 days (p<0.01). Succession was more rapid and complex in dentate subjects. Both groups demonstrated increased proportions of S. mitis and S. oralis by 1 day. N. mucosa, Veillonella parvula and Eikenella corrodens increased in both groups but later in edentate samples. Conclusions “Mature” natural and denture teeth biofilms have similar total numbers of bacteria but different species proportions. Post-cleaning biofilm re-development is more rapid and more complex on natural than denture teeth.

Patient satisfaction is an integral part of assessing the quality of oral health care. As dental care becomes more impersonal, competitive, and expensive, the potential for patient complaints is on the rise. Dental school clinics may be more vulnerable to patient grievances due to inexperienced student providers, less eficient delivery of care, challenges related to continuity of care, and the complexity of adhering to institutional policies. Effective management of patient complaints can assist both individuals and institutions toward providing the highest quality of care achievable in the demanding dental education environment. Despite the obvious beneit, there is a dearth of recent studies that analyzed complaints in either the private practice setting or dental school clinics. The purpose of this study was to categorize and analyze the complaints received from patients seeking treatment at a large dental school clinic from 2005 to 2008. It was found that the combined complaints for all four years in descending order were regarding appointment, communication, money, quality, and other. No statistically signiicant association was found between the type of complaint and time of year. Most importantly, it was found that the system for recording complaints needed to be standardized in order to improve the quality of patient care. The indings from this study will not only facilitate adjustment of the school's current curricula and policies, but could also guide other institutions and private dental practitioners toward better patient care.

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