Prosthesis Retention and Effective Use of Denture Adhesive in Complete Denture Therapy

This continuing education course will review epidemiologic data on the growing older adult population and its impact on the need for complete denture therapy today and in the future. The challenges faced by the profession with respect to managing edentulism in this older adult population will also be considered. Finally, the therapeutic utility of denture adhesives, appropriate adhesive application to denture bases, and recommendations for denture and oral hygiene will be discussed and illustrated.

With an ever-increasing elderly edentulous population, the dental profession is tasked to become more proficient in providing complete denture therapy, even in the face of significant residual ridge resorption. Once optimal complete denture fabrication has been achieved, the prescription of conservative and appropriate denture adhesive application can substantially aid prosthesis retention and stability, as well as facilitate patient psychological well-being. This course presents epidemiologic information detailing this needy patient population, the biomechanical phenomena of complete denture stability and retention, and the prescription and management of denture adhesive to supplement stability and retention in well-fabricated complete dentures.