Complete denture maintenance and care
- Recommendations
Recommendations for the professionals and general practitioners for the maintenance and care of their complete denture:
▪️ Advise the patient to carefully remove the bacterial biofilm daily from both the oral cavity and the surfaces of the complete dentures. (2-4) (Strong recommendation- high grade evidence).
▪️ Advise the patient to soak and brush the removable prosthesis outside the mouth using an effective, nonabrasive denture cleanser. After soaking and brushing, thoroughly rinse it with a denture-cleansing solution before reinserting it into the oral cavity (5-7) (Conditional recommendation-Low grade evidence).
▪️ Advise the patient to have their removable prosthesis professionally cleaned by a dentist or dental professional annually. Ultrasonic cleansers should be used (if available) to minimize biofilm accumulation over time (8-9) (Conditional recommendation- Low grade evidence).
▪️ Advise the patient to avoid soaking dentures in sodium hypochlorite bleach or any products containing sodium hypochlorite for more than 10 minutes (10-16) (Strong recommendation- High grade evidence).
▪️ Advise the patient to store the dentures immersed in water after cleaning, whenever they are not in the oral cavity (Good practice statement).
▪️ Advise the patient to avoid wearing dentures continuously to help reduce or minimize the risk of denture stomatitis (Good practice statement).
▪️ Advise the patient to apply denture adhesive in small, sufficient amounts (three or four pea-sized dollops) on each denture to enhance retention and stability of the prostheses (17-27) (Conditional recommendation - Low grade evidence).
▪️ Advise the patient to completely remove denture adhesive from both the prosthesis and the oral cavity daily (20,22) (Good practice statement).
▪️ Consider arrangement of three-month periodic visits to evaluate the fit and stability of the dentures if extended use of denture adhesives is required (Good practice statement).
▪️ Consider arrangement of an annual follow-up visit with a prosthodontist for maintenance of the removable prosthesis and evaluation of both soft and hard oral tissues (Good practice statement).