Denture Hygiene Habits among Elderly Patients Wearing Complete Dentures

Aim: To determine the denture cleaning routine and habits in complete denture wearers according to cleaning frequency, patient age and life of dentures. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a self-administered questionnaire was designed to learn about patient’s attitudes toward denture cleanliness in the Prosthodontics department. A detailed questionnaire was applied for total 130 patients visiting the Department of Prosthodontics in the Rehmat memorial postgraduate hospital Abbottabad for follow-up care. Data was recorded and analysed by using SPSS version 15.0 for results. Results: Total 130 participants including 90 males (69.3%) and 40 females (30.7%). 48.6% of participants clean their dentures every day, 32.9% once a week, and 18.5 % only occasionally. The highest percentage is seen in Group 1, which is 41.2%. Approximately 77% of Group 2 participants clean their dentures at least once a week, including both daily and once-a-week denture wearers. 71 individuals had been wearing dentures for 3-5 years. 41.2% of them clean their dentures every day, while 58.6 percent clean them twice a week. 6-8 years denture wearers do not clean them on a regular basis. Most patients 42% use only water, while 30% use a combination of water and a toothbrush. Around 20% of participants used soap and water, but only 8% of denture wearers utilised cleansing tablets in addition to water. There was significant difference among all groups (P=0.001). Conclusion: In this study it has been observed that full denture patients have trouble cleansing their dentures. A lack of regular cleaning practises and decreased use of cleaning solutions is the primary cause of poor denture hygiene among the seniors. Dentists should educate patients regarding optimal denture maintenance and materials used for cleaning verbally and in written form. Keywords: Denture Complete Denture hygiene, cleansing Habits, Denture cleaning solution.