DISCUSSION
complaints of food infiltration, denture, maxillary and mandibular dentures, mandibular dentures
INFILTRATION
The accumulation of food under dentures can be a considerable issue for wearers, even when dentures have been fitted appropriately (Brunello & Mandikos, Both studies examined the efficacy of a measured amount of a marketed denture adhesive applied in thin strips with a precision nozzle compared to no adhesive with regard to food infiltration under dentures. This is in contrast to traditional application nozzles, where the denture adhesive is intended to be applied more coarsely as dabs on the denture intaglio surface (the pilot study “conventional application” pattern). In the pilot study, the pattern of adhesive application had only a small effect; however, the continuous strip application resulted in a numerically lower median/mean mass of peanuts recovered from under the dentures compared to the conventional application. It should be noted that in practice, the amount of denture adhesive required to ensure adequate denture hold and to prevent food particle ingress may be more or less than the amount dosed in this study owing to differences in user's denture fit, size of a denture, quality of underlying soft tissue and user preference. Both studies allowed a period of 60 min between the fitting of the denture and the commencement of testing. This was to ensure the adhesive had fully hydrated before testing, allowing the denture hold to stabilize.In the follow‐on efficacy study, the primary objective was met with a greater than fivefold reduction in peanut infiltration under dentures when using the Test adhesive compared to no adhesive use. The denture adhesive was shown to be effective in reducing the infiltration of peanut particles under both maxillary and mandibular dentures when analyzed separately or together. A higher mass of peanut particles was observed under the mandibular dentures compared to the maxillary ones in both treatment groups. This was also found in the pilot study and previous studies (Ahmad et al., Another finding of the efficacy study was that only 27.1% of those using the Test adhesive reported any denture dislodgments during the chewing procedure used, compared to 77.1% of those when not using adhesive. More participants in the no adhesive groups also reported multiple (>1) dislodgements. This is in agreement with previous studies examining the maximum incisal bite force a person can exert until denture dislodgement, which generally shows that a greater bite force is achievable when denture adhesive is used compared to no adhesive use (Axe et al., Previous denture adhesive studies have also seen similar improvements in participant ratings for denture confidence, comfort, satisfaction, and movement when denture adhesive was used compared to no adhesive (Atassi et al., A previous food infiltration study by a number of the current authors also investigated the use of an adhesive compared to nonadhesive use but did not find a significant difference between them (Atassi et al., One potential consideration in these studies was that there was a large range of denture age and denture‐wearing experience. However, as this was a crossover study, there was no difference between the groups regarding this. As dentures were judged on their Kapur Index for retention and stability as well as the visual examination of fit and condition, the age of the denture should not affect the results. Test adhesive use was generally well tolerated with no treatment‐related TEAEs.In conclusion, the use of denture adhesive, applied in a specified amount and pattern with a precision application nozzle, was found to result in a lower mass of peanut particles found under dentures and also improve participant perception of such. This could be related to both better denture adherence to the gum as well as to the finding of fewer denture dislodgements while chewing. These findings add further weight to the utility of denture adhesive in those with well‐fitting and well‐made full maxillary or mandibular dentures. As complaints of food infiltration are common amongst denture wearers, reduction of such could lead to higher enjoyment of food and a greater range of food choices.