Abstract
Introduction: The use of removable partial dentures is common among older adults and may be associated with various lesions of the oral mucosa. The objective of this study was to identify oral mucosal lesions in older adult patients who wear removable partial dentures.
Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted during 2025 at the Rampa 1 clinic in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality, Cuba. The study population consisted of 432 patients aged 60 years or older. A non-probabilistic census sample of 148 patients wearing removable partial dentures was selected. Data were collected through direct clinical observation and a data collection form. The clinical examination was performed following the standard semiological sequence for oral cavity assessment, and informed consent was obtained from the participants. Results: Denture stomatitis was the most frequent lesion, occurring in 18% of cases, and predominated in female patients (70.6%). The hard palate was the most frequently affected site (52.7%). The majority of lesions were observed in patients who had used their dentures for 10 years or more (89.7%) and in cases involving ill-fitting dentures. Lesions such as epulis fissuratum, fibrous hyperplasia, traumatic ulcers, and fibromas were also observed exclusively in association with ill-fitting dentures. Furthermore, a higher frequency of lesions was evident in patients with poor denture hygiene. Conclusions: Oral mucosal lesions in older adults wearing removable partial dentures occurred primarily in patients exhibiting inadequate hygiene, prolonged denture use, and ill-fitting prostheses. Denture stomatitis and epulis fissuratum were the most frequently observed lesions.
References
Bermúdez C, Morales T, Vásquez A. Lesiones de la mucosa bucal asociadas al uso de prótesis estomatológica en desdentados. Rev 16 abril. 2021; 55(262):9–17.
https://www.medigraphic.com/cgi-bin/new/resumen.cgi?IDARTICULO=75747
Organización Mundial de la Salud. 2025. Ageing and health. https://www.who.int/news room/fact sheets/detail/ageing and health
Prensa Latina. A quarter of Cuba’s inhabitants are over 60 years old. Prensa Latina; 2026. https://www.plenglish.com/news/2026/01/12/a-quarter-of-cubas-inhabitants-are-over-60-years-old/
Yero-Mier IM, Pérez-García LM, Fernández-Serrano JM. Lesiones paraprotésicas en pacientes geriátricos portadores de prótesis removibles. Rev. Información Científica.2021;100(4):1-8.
https://www.medigraphic.com/cgi-bin/new/resumen.cgi?IDARTICULO=112931
Piña-Odio I, Matos-Frómeta K, Barrera-Garcell M, González-Longoria YM, Arencibia-Flandes DP. Factores de riesgo relacionados con las lesiones paraprotésicas en pacientes portadores de prótesis removibles. Medisan.2021; 25(1): 41-50.
http://scielo.sld.cu/scielo.php?pid=S1029-30192021000100041&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en
Jainkittivong A, Aneksuk V, Langlais R. Oral mucosal conditions in elderly dental patients.Oral Dis. 2022; 8(4):218–23.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12206403/
Carvalho I, Nunes J, Porto da Cunha D, Arcanjo M. Patologías asociadas al uso de prótesis totales removibles: revisión de literatura. Rev. Multidisciplinar de Psicología.2021;18(47):875-888.
https://idonline.emnuvens.com.br/id/article/view/2091
Radwan-Oczko M, Bandosz K, Rojek Z, Owczarek-Drabińska JE. Clinical study of oral mucosal lesions in the elderly—Prevalence and distribution. International journal of environmental research and public health.2022; 19(5): 2853. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/5/2853
León-Velastegui MA, Gavilanes-Bayas NA, Mejía-Navas EX. Lesiones de la mucosa oral asociadas al uso de prótesis odontológicas en pacientes edéntulos totales. Dominio de las Ciencias. 2019; 5(1):603-623. https://doi.org/10.23857/dc.v5i1.880
Jainkittivong A, Aneksuk V, Langlais RP. Oral mucosal lesions in denture wearers. Gerodontology. 2021; 38(1):29-36.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ger.12497
dos-Santos MBF, Aguiar SMHCA, de-Melo LA, et al. Denture-related oral mucosal lesions among Brazilian elderly: a cross-sectional study. J Oral Rehabil. 2020;47(8):1016-1023.
https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.13050
Zheng F, Annamma LM, Harikrishnan SS, Lee DJ. Systemic Factors Affecting Prognosis in Restorative and Prosthetic Dentistry: A Review. Dental Clinics.2024; 68(4): 751-765. https://www.dental.theclinics.com/article/S0011-8532(24)00040-5/abstract
Bhakti BC, Jaintilal DZ, Ankit AS, Nitesh NN, Pratiksha PS, Phani Challa RS, Nida NW. Prevalence of Denture-Related Oral Lesions among Elderly a Retrospective Study. Journal of Contemporary Clinical Practice. 2024;10(1):329-334. https://doi.org/10.61336/jccp/24-01
Somaraj V, Verma D, Kaur R, Kaur M, Tiwari R, Dixit H, Sharma D. Prevalence of Denture- Related Oral Lesions Among Elderly: A Retrospective Study. CME Journal Geriatric Medicine. 2023 Jul;15(2):87-90. https://doi.org/10.61336/cmejgm/2023-09-30
Perić M, Miličić B, Kuzmanović Pfićer J, Živković R, Arsić Arsenijević V. A Systematic Review of Denture Stomatitis: Predisposing Factors, Clinical Features, Etiology, and Global Candida spp. Distribution. Journal of Fungi. 2024; 10(5): 328. https://doi.org/10.3390/jof10050328
Somaraj V, Verma D, Kaur R, Kaur M, Tiwari R, Dixit H, Sharma D. Prevalence of Denture- Related Oral Lesions Among Elderly: A Retrospective Study. CME Journal Geriatric Medicine. 2023 Jul; 15(2):87-90. https://doi.org/10.61336/cmejgm/2023-09-30
Priya PB, Sahoo SR, Tiwari HD, Rahul RT, MC MP, .Tohid .A. Prevalence of Denture-Related Oral Lesions among the Elderly: A RetrospectiveStudy. Journal of Contemporary Clinical Practice. 2025; 11(4):819-823. https://doi.org/10.61336/jccp/25-06-55
Ciesielska A, Kusiak A, Ossowska A, Grzybowska ME. Changes in the Oral Cavity in Menopausal Women—A Narrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2022; 19(1): 253. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19010253
Espin-Fernandez E, Armas-Vega A. Lesiones de la mucosa oral asociadas al uso de prótesis removibles en pacientes geriátricos. Revisión de literatura. Polo del Conocimiento. 2025; 10(4): 1280-1291. https://doi.org/10.23857/pc.v10i4.9377
Adam RZ, Kimmie-Dhansay F. Prevalence of Denture-Related Stomatitis in Edentulous Patients at a Tertiary Dental Teaching Hospital. Frontiers in oral health. 2021:2, 772679. https://doi.org/ 10.3389/froh.2021.772679
Abuhajar E, Ali K, Zulfiqar G, Al Ansari K, Raja HZ, Bishti S, Anweigi L. Management of Chronic Atrophic Candidiasis (Denture Stomatitis)—A Narrative Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2023; 20(4): 3029. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043029
Bradić-Vasić M, Pejčić A, Kostić M. Influence of local denture-related factors on the inflammatory marker levels in patients with denture stomatitis. BMC Oral Health. 2025; 25: 744. https://doi.org/ 10.1186/s12903-025-06160-6
Tosun B, Uysal N. Denture care attitudes, hygiene levels and oral mucosal lesions in complete denture wearers from a single-institution cross‐sectional study. Sci Rep. 2025;15: 1421. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-85885-4
Thakare AA. Evaluation of Removable Prostheses and Oral Conditions in Long-Term Denture Wearers: A Clinical Study. Journal of Pioneering Medical Sciences. 2025 Nov;14(11):177-181. https://doi.org/10.47310/jpms2025141125
El Assraoui K, Oubbaih A, Kaoun K, Bellemkhannate S. Management of Denture-induced Hyperplasia. European Journal of Dental and Oral Health.2023; 4(2): 23-26. https://eu-opensci.org/index.php/ejdent/article/view/13235
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dailen Guerra-Milán, Yoanka Puente-Oduardo, Yailet Velázquez-Borges, Yoneisy Abraham-Millán (Author)