Evaluation of Hygiene, Attitude, and Habits on The Removable Dentures in a Group of Patients

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the hygiene methods, attitudes, and habits with regard to the use of removable dentures, whether patients have been instructed by the dentist on how to take care of their dentures, and the interest of the patients about the guidelines given to them after the placement of removable dentures. Methods: This was a cross-sectional hospital-based study carried out using a questionnaire given to 100 patients who were wearing partial and/ or complete removable dentures at that time. The questionnaire was designed by the investigators to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics of patients, and hygiene, attitudes, and habits with regard to using removable dentures. Results: It was showed that 31% of patients continuously wore their dentures when sleeping at night. Of the patients, 63% mentioned that they had not been advised about how to clean their dentures by their dentists. There is no statistically significant difference regarding the frequency of cleaning dentures and the rate of removal of the dentures at night before the sleep for age and gender (p>0.05). Of the patients, 91% stated that they would be interested in a written guideline explaining how to care for their dentures. Conclusion: It was found that dentists could neglect to inform patients. Dentists should pay attention to instructing patients regarding how to care for their removable dentures after treatment. Giving a guideline to patients might help them use their removable dentures for a longer time and in a healthier way.