AIMS: To design and validate a method of assessing complete dentures from a functional standpoint. SUBJECTS: A random sample of 40 complete denture wearers took part in the study. SETTING: A university clinical department of prosthetic dentistry. INTERVENTION: We undertook a pilot study to refine the protocol and criteria. All participants and their dentures were examined by two authors independently, with no prior knowledge of the patients' complaints. DESIGN: We defined nine clinical factors of functional quality and applied criteria with binary scoring. We analysed the scores for these factors for inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: The method proved simple to apply and took less than 5 minutes to complete. The inter-examiner agreement for all factors was 86% to 100% giving Kappa scores of 0.64 to 1.00 (all Good or Very Good). CONCLUSIONS: This study successfully demonstrates that the technique, which we call the Functional Assessment of Dentures (FAD), can give good inter-examiner reliability. It can therefore be used separately as a routine diagnostic tool and to investigate the relationship between denture qualities and functional 'outcome' such as difficulty eating or dietary selection.
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Corrigan et al. (2002) studied this question.