A denture adhesive bonds a denture and the underlying oral tissues over a certain period of time. Objectives: It was the purpose of the present study to determine objectively, using disposable gnathometers, the effectiveness of a denture adhesive in improving the retention of maxillary complete dentures. Methods: Participants were 88 patients of five dental clinics, who were treated with new maxillary complete dentures. In the mandible they had a stable natural dentition or prosthetic appliance, e.g. an overdenture attached on natural or implant abutments, a partial natural dentition with a stable partial chromcobalt denture, etc. The denture adhesive used was Kukident. Disposable gnathometers with a previously demonstrated very good intra- as well as inter-examiner reliability, were used to measure the maximum bite force of the patients' maxillary dentures. A gnathometer measures maximum bite force using a scale ranking from 1 to 10 by registration of the pressure which a patient can apply to the front teeth until dorsally dislodgement of the maxillary denture. During one of the sessions for the treatment with a new denture, the maximum bite force of the old denture without and with adhesive was measured. About two weeks post delivery of the new denture, when the patient was problem free at least, the maximum bite force of the new denture was measured following the same procedure. The measuring data were analyzed statistically. Results: For the old as well as the new dentures the mean maximum bite force increased significantly when the denture adhesive was used (p < 0,05). The increase of the mean maximum bite force when the adhesive was applied, was significantly more pronounced in the old dentures, when compared with the new dentures (p < 0,05). Conclusions: The denture adhesive tested, was very effective in improving the retention of maxillary complete dentures.

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