Denture care practice among patients attending the prosthetic clinic in a Nigerian teaching hospital

BACKGROUND: Good denture care practice by individuals using Removable Partial Denture (RPD) is an important component of oral health measures. An assessment of denture care practice of such individuals by dental care practitioners is necessary. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the denture care practice among prosthetics patients attending a tertiary Hospital Dental Centre in Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from RPD wearers that were willing to participate. The questionnaire assessed among other things, patients' bio-data, frequency, techniques and device used for cleaning their dentures. Data was analyzed using Chi-square test (P < 0.05). RESULTS: One hundred and ninety eight denture wearers consisting of 100 (50.5%) males and 98 (49.5%) females participated in the study. Majority 110 (55.6%) cleaned their dentures once daily and toothbrush and pastes were used by 105 (53%) of the participants. More than 70% of the respondents removed their dentures at night. One hundred and sixty-six (83.8%) visited the dentist only when they needed treatment. There was a statistical significant relationship between frequency and technique of cleaning denture, and denture cleanliness (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study shows that once daily cleaning of dentures and cleaning the denture with rest of the teeth are ineffective in prevention of plaque accumulation.