Oral Mucosal Lesions in Complete Denture Wearers

In recent decades, the prevalence of edentulism and the incidence of tooth loss has decreased in developed countries; furthermore, oral implants are becoming more popular. However, in developing country like India, in the coming decades, most patients with complete edentulism will still continue to receive conventional prosthodontic treatment. Nevertheless, regular follow up and maintenance is needed, and as most of the patients are of older age complications like oral mucosal lesions are relatively high. Long-term denture use, especially of a poorly maintained or ill-fitting denture, can lead to complications like tissue trauma, chronic soreness, residual ridge resorption, and denture-related oral mucosal lesions. According to previous studies, nearly a half of denture wearers present at least one denture-related mucosal lesion, and three most commonly found denture-related mucosal lesions among elderly wearers of removable denture are denture stomatitis, angular cheilitis and traumatic ulcer.