Denture hygiene among inhabitants of the Lublin province

Abstract

Objectives Dentures, like the patient’s own teeth, require the necessary hygienic procedures to keep them in good condition. The aim of the study was to analyze selected socio-demographic features, as well as awareness and hygiene behaviours in patients from the Lublin province who use fixed and removable dentures. Material and methods The cross-sectional study material consisted of 1,200 questionnaires distributed among people residing in the Lublin province using removable or fixed dentures. The study was conducted between June 2016 – June 2017 in randomly selected private dental offices providing private and National Health Fund dental services in the Lublin province to patients using dentures. Results The majority of respondents (51.6%) disinfected their dentures, with women more often than men providing a positive answer. Almost a half (45.6%) of respondents used dentures 24 hours a day, 36.7% stored their dentures overnight in a container with liquid, 16.3% stored them in a dry container, and others (1.4%) in a different way. A manual toothbrush was indicated by 68.3% of respondents as the method they used for daily oral hygiene. Men significantly more often used other types of brushes (electric or sonic) than women. Men also more often used dental floss. Conclusions The dentist issuing denture should provide the patient with detailed recommendations regarding its use and proper hygiene because patients’ knowledge on this subject is insufficient.

Keywords

• oral hygiene
• removable partial dentures (rpds)
• fixed dentures