Clinical survey of denture care in denture-wearing edentulous patients of Indian population

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate patients' knowledge regarding the post-insertion care of complete denture prosthesis.

Methods: One hundred and twenty-five complete denture-wearing patients who reported to the department of prosthodontics, HKES S Nijalingappa Institute of Dental Science and Research, Gulbarga, Karnataka, India constituted the sample. Questionnaires were distributed to them. The χ(2)-test was used for statistical analysis, with a significance level of 5%.

Results: Questionnaire results showed that: 59.2% of the subjects, with a mean age of 69.28 years, had used the same complete denture for less than a year; 36% of them slept with their prosthesis in their mouth; 83.82% were male; 100% of upper class subjects removed there prosthesis before sleep; 67.2% removed their prostheses at some point during the day; 35.2% removed their prostheses and kept them in a separate denture box with water; 97.6% of patients cleaned their denture daily; there was a statistically significant difference in frequencies of cleaning between socioeconomic status (χ(2)-test = 48.25, P < 0.05); 94.26% of subjects used a toothbrush for prosthesis cleaning; there was a statistically significant difference in other aids used to clean the prostheses between socioeconomic status (χ(2)-test = 57.20, P < 0.05); 50.40% of the population reported ulceration due to prostheses; and 85.5% of subjects never used adhesive to retain their denture.

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it was concluded that the edentulous patients surveyed had limited awareness of prostheses hygiene and long-term oral care.