Denture-handling ability of elderly persons with dementia: Examination of time spent inserting and removing dentures

ARSTRACT To evaluate the effects of dementia on denture‐handling ability, we measured the amount of time that elderly subjects spent inserting and removing dentures. Elderly subjects with dementia tended to take more time inserting and removing dentures than those who were not demented. Only elderly patients who were severely demented needed signifi‐cantly more time removing partial dentures than they did removing complete dentures. There was no significant difference between the time spent inserting dentures and removing dentures. The greater amount of time required to inseri or remove dentures for subjects with dementia was due to dis‐orientation. The results indicate that elderly people with mild to moderate dementia are able to insert and remove their dentures without help.