Considering the limitations of this study, it was concluded that gender might be considered a risk factor for masticatory performance of CD wearers. Female patients demonstrated reduced masticatory performance in comparison to male patients.

With populations aging around the world, the need for complete dentures is likely to increase in Brazil and other developing countries, as well among low‐income populations globally, making the teaching of cost‐efficient techniques to dental students essential. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of complete dentures fabricated by the simplified method in comparison to the conventional method regarding patients' oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) and satisfaction, dentures' functional quality, and masticatory performance of patients who were rehabilitated by dental students. From February 2016 to April 2017, final‐year dental students at the Federal University of Alfenas, Brazil, were instructed to fabricate new complete dentures for 36 edentulous patients, who were randomly divided into two groups according to denture manufacturing method: simplified method or conventional method. Patients' OHRQoL and satisfaction and the prostheses quality were evaluated at one, three, and six months. Masticatory performance was evaluated at three months. The results showed there was no significant difference between the two methods regarding OHRQoL, patient satisfaction, prostheses quality, or masticatory performance (p>0.05). All aspects evaluated also remained constant for the same group (simplified method or conventional method) in all periods of evaluation (p>0.05). The study concluded that the simplified method for complete denture fabrication was able to produce protheses with functional quality and patient satisfaction comparable to those produced with the conventional method, even when made by dental students.

A pesquisa teve como objetivo entender os conhecimentos, costumes e autopercepção na saúde bucal de idosos em uma Instituição de Longa Permanência (ILPI), a fim de se determinar como este histórico influencia na saúde bucal do idoso institucionalizado. Para isso, foi realizado um estudo qualitativo, configurado como pesquisa-intervenção, composto por relatos de moradores da ILPI; e que investigou, por meio de entrevista semiestruturada, seus conhecimentos prévios e hábitos de saúde bucal. As entrevistas foram gravadas, transcritas e analisadas. Foram entrevistados seis idosos e, a partir da análise de conteúdo, emergiram cinco categorias principais: todos os participantes nasceram no Sul de Minas Gerais, têm escolaridade incompleta e infância marcada por cuidados de saúde bucal insatisfatórios. Todos relataram cuidados ocasionais de saúde bucal que se tornaram irregulares na velhice. A maioria dos participantes se abrigaram voluntariamente na ILPI, relatando expressiva mudança de rotina e perda da autonomia e independência. Para os entrevistados, o significado de saúde bucal é compreendido entre função satisfatória, ausência de doenças e não consideram a própria condição satisfatória. Portanto, embora os relatos apresentem trajetórias de vida heterogêneas, as experiências de envelhecimento e vivência na ILPI são semelhantes. As experiências de saúde bucal são ainda mais similares, com hábitos irregulares de higiene, uso de próteses e desinteresse pelas condições bucais. Os relatos foram de extrema importância para compreensão das condições e necessidades dos idosos e, a partir daí, construir novos caminhos para a educação em saúde bucal, indo além da ausência de doenças e considerando a qualidade de vida.

Maxillary defects caused by surgical resection generate abnormal communication between the nasal and oral cavities, hindering proper eating and phonetics, and causing aesthetic damage. Prosthetic intervention is necessary to rehabilitate these patients, in order to block communication and allow correct speech and swallowing functions. This article reports the manufacture of an immediate palatal obturator prosthesis after hemimaxillectomy due to the surgical removal of an intraoral squamous cell carcinoma, which guaranteed better conditions for postoperative recovery, as well as better adaptation to the definitive prosthesis and the use of the prosthetic apparatus.