Impact of facebow registration on occlusal parameters and oral health-related quality of life in remounting complete dentures

Objectives: The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the impact of facebow registration on the occlusal parameters and oral health-related quality of life (QHRQoL) when remounting complete dentures (CDs). Materials and methods: Thirty-two patients with new CDs were included. Intraoral pin registration with gothic arch tracing was performed to record the horizontal jaw relation. CDs were duplicated into two cast models, followed by mounting each pair of cast models into an articulator according to a mean setting (Group 1) and using a facebow (Group 2). Occlusal static contact points and the number of teeth in contact were evaluated by a computer program (laboratory results). CDs were adjusted according to the randomization protocol of Group 1 and Group 2. After 3 (T1) and 84 (T2) days, the clinical static contact points and teeth in contact were counted. Statistical analyses were performed using the F-test and the bootstrapping method. Questionnaires of the German version of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G49) were distributed before the remounting procedure at T0, and at T1 and T2. Results: Laboratory: The mean number of occlusal contact points was 6.06 (Group 1: mean setting) and 7.23 (Group 2: facebow), P = 0.13. The number of teeth with at least one occlusal contact was significantly higher in Group 2 (P = 0.027). Clinic: The mean number of teeth with at least one clinical contact point was slightly significantly higher in Group 1 (7.13 compared with 5.31 in Group 2; P = 0.042). Mean values of the OHIP-G49 sum scores decreased in both groups, from T0 (Group 1: 48.56; Group 2: 45.46) to T1 (Group 1: 31.43; Group 2: 43.20), and to T2 (Group 1 29.06; Group 2: 29.40), with a significant reduction in Group 1 from T0 to T1 (P = 0.012). Conclusions: Differences in occlusion occur when an arbitrary facebow is used, compared with a mean setting, when changing the vertical dimension in the articulator when remounting CDs. With regard to oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), patients clearly benefit from a remounting procedure. Keywords: complete denture, facebow, occlusion, oral health-related quality of life, remounting procedure, RCT