Removable partial dentures in Libya: patient expectations, satisfaction and maintenance

Background: Patient satisfaction is considered the definitive aim of any oral restoration procedure. This study aimed to assess the level of Libyan patient expectation of and satisfaction with a Removable Partial Denture (RPD). Furthermore, to explore the level of patient awareness and application of oral hygiene care pertaining to RPD. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective survey was undertaken by administering self-reported questionnaires to 160 patients wearing RPD and living in Benghazi, Libya. The included questions explored expectation of a RPD as well as subjective satisfaction with the treatment outcome. Moreover, the questionnaire included a section to evaluate the attitude of patients’ towards their use of oral hygiene measures. Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s correlation coefficient were undertaken to calculate the correlation between the various examined parameters. Results: revealed that the RPD met the expectations of 63.1% and met the partial expectations of 16.9% of the participants. Overall satisfaction was experienced by 68.1% of the sample, while 31.9% had one concern or more. The majority of patients (91.3%) cared about and paid attention to their oral hygiene. Spearman’s correlation coefficient showed a weak but significant correlation between the level of patient expectation and patient satisfaction (r=0.369, P<0001) and between the type of denture base and the level of satisfaction (r=0.211, P=0.007). There was a weak but significant correlation between oral health care and sex (r=0.178, P=0.024) where females surpassed males in their oral hygiene care. Conclusions: A high percentage of patients were satisfied with their RPDs and most took good care of their oral hygiene after using RPD.