Denture hygiene – why, when and how

Abstract

A substantial proportion of the population in the UK wears dentures. Poor denture hygiene can cause oral and systemic disease. Inappropriate denture cleaning regimens can cause irreversible damage to dentures.

It is therefore important that dental care professionals have the appropriate knowledge of both the products and techniques available to clean dentures, as well as the skills to provide patients with adequate denture hygiene education.

Background

A substantial proportion of the population wears dentures and, with an ageing population, the number of patients wearing a denture is likely to increase. In the UK, nearly one in five adults wear dentures of some description, with 6% wearing complete dentures and 13% using partial dentures.¹