Organization's Unique Protocol ID

Overview

Ectodermal dysplasia is a rare inherited condition that affects structures derived from the ectoderm, including teeth, skin, hair, and sweat glands. Dental findings are often severe and include missing or malformed teeth and poorly developed jaw ridges. These abnormalities can significantly affect chewing, speech, facial appearance, and quality of life, especially in children and young adults. Removable dentures, particularly overdentures when some teeth are present, are commonly used to restore function and appearance in these patients because they are conservative and cost-effective. However, conventional acrylic dentures may show dimensional changes during processing, which can lead to poor denture fit, reduced retention, and lower patient satisfaction. Three-dimensional (3-D) printed dentures are a newer digital fabrication method that may reduce material shrinkage and improve denture adaptation. Despite these potential advantages, clinical evidence comparing 3-D printed and conventional overdentures in patients with ectodermal dysplasia remains limited, highlighting the need for well-designed clinical studies. The purpose of this study is to compare patient satisfaction and denture base adaptation between 3-D printed maxillary overdentures and conventional acrylic maxillary overdentures in patients with ectodermal dysplasia.

Ectodermal dysplasia patients suffer from partial anodontia, the reduced number of teeth leads to decreased ridge development and reduced surface area of denture which negatively affects the denture adaptation. Conventionally constructed dentures are well accepted but have high polymerization shrinkage which affects denture adaptation. 3D printed dentures offer less polymerization shrinkage when compared to conventional dentures. Clinical studies that investigated digitally manufactured, especially 3D printed, dentures in ectodermal dysplasia patients and their impact on patient satisfaction and denture adaptation are very scarce in dental literature.