Patient‐Perceived Adaptation to the Prosthesis and Social Participation After Prosthodontic Rehabilitation: Associations With Chewing Function and Oral Health‐Related Quality of Life

Background Patient‐perceived adaptation to the prosthesis may provide information about rehabilitation outcomes beyond conventional prosthodontic assessment. Its relationships with oral function, oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) and social participation remain insufficiently understood. Objective To examine the association between patient‐perceived adaptation to the prosthesis and social participation and characterize indirect associations involving chewing difficulty and OHRQoL. Methods This cross‐sectional study included 300 adults receiving prosthodontic rehabilitation. Patient‐perceived adaptation to the prosthesis was assessed using a study‐specific 0–100 composite score comprising equally weighted ratings of comfort, speech, aesthetics and stability. Chewing difficulty, OHRQoL and social participation were assessed using standardized patient‐reported measures. A recursive path model was adjusted for age, sex, prosthesis type, duration of prosthesis use and remaining natural teeth. Direct and indirect associations were estimated using 5000 bias‐corrected bootstrap resamples. Results Higher patient‐perceived adaptation to the prosthesis was associated with lower chewing difficulty ( β = −0.719, p < 0.001) and greater social participation ( β = 0.283, p < 0.001). The total association with social participation was β = 0.649 (95% BC CI, 0.522–0.748), with a total indirect association of β = 0.366 (95% BC CI, 0.266–0.474), representing 56.4% of the total association. The serial indirect association through lower chewing difficulty followed by better OHRQoL was β = 0.199 (95% BC CI, 0.140–0.276; p < 0.001). Conclusions Higher patient‐perceived adaptation to the prosthesis was associated with greater social participation and better perceived chewing function and OHRQoL. These findings support incorporating patient‐reported adaptation, oral function and OHRQoL into patient‐centred prosthetic rehabilitation assessment. Indirect associations should not be interpreted causally.