title: Behaviors and hygiene habits of complete denture wearers.
abstract: In this study, a questionnaire was applied to patients from Ribeirão Preto Dental School, University of São Paulo, Brazil, to evaluate the hygiene methods and habits concerning the use of complete dentures, the age of dentures, and whether patients have been instructed on how to clean their dentures. The mean age of patients was 63.35 years, and most of them were females (82.08%). The results showed that 62.26% of the respondents had been using the same maxillary complete denture for more than 5 years, and 49.06% used the same mandible complete denture for more than 5 years. Of the patients interviewed, 58.49% slept with the dentures. Mechanical brushing was the most used cleaning method by the patients (100%), using water, dentifrice and toothbrush (84.91%). Most patients (51.89%) reported never having been instructed by their dentists as to how to clean their dentures. Based on the limitations of this study, it was concluded that the patients interviewed had limited knowledge about prosthetic hygiene and oral care. The method more used by patients was the mechanical method of brushing, most patients used the same complete dentures for more than 5 years and slept with the dentures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dental Materials and Prosthodontics, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peracini
authors.forename: Ingrid Machado de
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Helena de Freitas Oliveira
authors.initials: Hde F
authors.lastname: Paranhos
authors.forename: Cláudia Helena Lovato da
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Raphael Freitas
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: de Souza
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D003820:Denture Cleansers; D003826:Denture, Complete, Lower; D003827:Denture, Complete, Upper; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003820:Denture Cleansers