Comparison between balanced occlusion and canine guidance in complete denture wearers--a clinical, randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE: Two occlusal concepts exist for the setup of complete dentures: canine guidance and balanced occlusion. These two schemes were studied in a randomized clinical trial of 22 patients. METHOD AND MATERIALS: Subjective data were collected using a visual analog scale that described the patients' satisfaction with the esthetic appearance, the ability to chew, the ability to speak, and denture retention. Objective data were collected on the number of denture ulcers, the number of occlusal contacts, and denture retention during eccentric movements. Statistic evaluation was performed with the Friedman test. RESULTS: Patients assessed canine-guided dentures to be significantly more satisfying in esthetic appearance, mandibular denture retention, and chewing ability. The ability to speak and the retention of maxillary dentures were not influenced by the occlusal concept in the patients' opinion, whereas the examiners found that maxillary canine-guided dentures lost retention more frequently during eccentric movements than balanced dentures. The objective inspection of mandibular denture retention underscores the patients' assessment, showing that the mandibular canine-guided dentures are much more stable during laterotrusive and protrusive movements. CONCLUSION: Canine guidance can be used successfully in complete denture treatment as it provides better mandibular denture retention, esthetic appearance, and chewing ability.