Brushing Dentures Might Be Best Cleaning Method

Health Behavior News Service

Brushing removable dentures with a paste product might be the best way to keep them clean, better than soaking in effervescent or enzyme cleaning solutions, suggests a new review of what little dental literature exists on the topic.

Keeping dentures clean and free from plaque buildup can help prevent oral infections and gingivitis; however, few clinical studies focus on the best way to clean partial or complete dentures.

This scarcity of studies on real-life patients was surprising, said lead review author Raphael Freitas de Souza, D.D.S. Most studies of denture cleaning methods happen in the laboratory. “We need clinical trials,” he said.

Dr. de Souza, with the Ribeirão Preto Dental School of the University of São Paulo in Brazil, and colleagues evaluated six randomized controlled studies. In some studies, the denture wearers were in institutions, while other studies involved patients at university dental clinics. Studies compared different denture cleaning methods to one another or to a placebo.

Read the entire article.

Comments