PRÓTESES TOTAIS: FUNCIONALIDADE E MELHORIA DA QUALIDADE DE VIDA DOS USUÁRIOS.

The oral cavity has a great influence on the quality of life, both biologically and psychologically and socially, through improvements in self - esteem, self - expression, socialism and satisfactory facial aesthetics. However, the index of total toothlessness in the population is very high, which can generate discomfort in living with society. The objective of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of users of total dentures made in the last 5 years in the. In the city of Quixadá - CE. It was a descriptive research, aiming to analyze the quality of the total dentures, being applied questionnaires of alternative questions in 10 patients with questions involving the degree of satisfaction regarding the occlusion, final result of the total prosthesis and hygiene care. The results showed that the degree of satisfaction of the patients was very high and that the hygiene of their prostheses was considered satisfactory, since it was performed frequently three times a day. It was concluded that the patients demonstrated satisfaction with the use of their prosthetic devices, considering improvement in functionality, esthetics, self-expression and increased self-esteem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]