Denture Hygiene Habits among Elderly Patients Wearing Complete Dentures
Syed Abdul Rauf Shah, Shabana Tanveer, Bilal Zaman Babar, Malik Arshman Khan, Sikandar J. Bajwa, Salvan G., Maryam Khurshid
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ABSTRACT
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.