Denture hygiene and self-reported denture hygiene practices among a group of denture wearers attending a university dental hospital: a pilot study

Abstract

The importance of maintaining denture hygiene lies in the fact that they are carriers of multiple potentially harmful microorganisms. The most commonly reported denture associated infection is denture induced candidosis. Recent studies have shown that denture hygiene has an effect on the wearer’s systemic health. Considering the above facts the aim of the present study was to determine the level of denture hygiene among removable partial denture wearers and their routine hygiene practice. In this cross sectional pilot study, a self-administered questionnaire which included questions on denture hygiene practice was administered to 120 removable denture wearers. The dentures of each individual were examined by a single observer after using disclosing methods. Denture hygiene was graded into poor, moderate and good. The findings were then statistically analyzed. Forty five percent of upper dentures and 29% of lower dentures examined showed moderate denture hygiene. Hygiene of both upper and lower dentures did not show significant associations with age, gender and educational level of the patient. However, hygiene and denture age did show a statistically significant positive association. Fifty five percent of the patients cleaned their dentures twice a day. Ninety six percent of the patients used a tooth brush for cleaning dentures. Sixty five percent used soap as the medium. Seventy five percent of the participants had stated that they leave the dentures out at night with 74.2% of them storing them in water. Also there were significant associations between leaving the dentures out at night, medium in which the dentures were kept and denture hygiene level. In conclusion, majority of the participants had moderate denture hygiene and the level of hygiene had a significant positive association with denture age and leaving dentures out at night.