The effectiveness of palate-less versus complete palatal coverage dentures (a pilot study).

The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of palate-less dentures as a substitute for conventional complete palatal coverage. Ten edentulous patients who had recently received maxillary and mandibular complete dentures were included in the study. The patients' maxillary conventional dentures were duplicated to construct 'U' shape palate-less dentures. A strain gauge biting fork was used to compare the maximum biting force and chewing tests using almond were performed. They failed to show significant differences. Eight patients were more comfortable with the palate-less dentures than the complete palatal coverage. It was concluded that Palate-less dentures could be as effective as dentures with complete palatal coverage.