Repercusión de prótesis parciales removibles en el bienestar biopsicosocial de adultos.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the impact of removable partial denture treatment on the physical, psychological, and social components of oral health-related quality of life among adults treated at the Dental Clinic of the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil during the A-2026 period. Materials and methods: A quantitative, longitudinal, and analytical study was conducted on 47 patients over 18 years of age with partial edentulism. The OHIP-14 questionnaire was administered before and after treatment to assess physical, psychological, and social components. Age, sex, affected arch, and Kennedy classification were also recorded. As the data did not follow a normal distribution, the Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney U tests were used. Results: The mean age was 58.8 ± 15 years, and 72.3% of the participants were women. Kennedy Class III predominated in the upper arch (42.6%), while Class I predominated in the lower arch (42.6%). Following treatment, the physical component score decreased from a median of 7 to 4 points, the psychological component from 4 to 2, and the social component from 1 to 0. The overall OHIP-14 score decreased from 13 to 6 points, showing statistically significant differences (p < 0.001). No significant differences in improvement were found between patients with one affected arch and those with both arches affected (p = 0.423). Conclusion: Treatment with removable partial dentures resulted in a significant improvement in the physical, psychological, and social components of oral health-related quality of life.