Effect of differences in habitual use of complete dentures on underlying tissues

The present longitudinal clinical and radiographic investigation was undertaken to find out whether the. frequency of denture stomatitis and/or the rate of resorption of the alveolar processes varied with the type of habitual use (day only versus day and night) of complete dentures. The clinical series consisted of 60 wearers of complete dentures who were randomly divided into two equally large groups, one in which the dentures were worn also during the night and one in which they were worn only in the daytime. Fifty‐four of the patients were re‐examined, one year later. Clinical examination revealed no significant differences in the frequency of denture stomatitis between the two groups. Neither did the two groups differ from one another in respect of changes in the morphologic or postural face height or in the anterior part of the mandible.