A modified Newton classification for denture stomatitis

Abstract

The effectiveness of denture stomatitis (DS) treatment should be evaluated by associating clinical and mycological parameters. Although widely used in clinical studies, the Newton classification does not accurately represent the degree of severity of palatal inflammation in terms of extent of the lesions and intensity of the erythema. Therefore, a modified Newton classification has been proposed considering the coverage area of palatal inflammation and the erythema level. This consistent and direct ranking will help standardise randomised clinical trials, as well as the statistical comparison among blind evaluations of the obtained scores within and between studies.

Keywords: Denture stomatitis; classification; complete denture; hard palate; hyperemia; inflammation.