Does the level of knowledge of denture hygiene affect their maintenance?

Abstract

Introduction: The lack of knowledge about denture hygiene can negatively affect their maintenance. On the other hand, good oral hygiene can reduce the chances of plaque accumulation. Objetive: To determine if there is a relationship between knowledge of hygiene and denture maintenance. Material and Methods: A questionnaire was applied to 67 patients who wore partial and/or total removable prostheses daily to evaluate their knowledge of denture hygiene. For the evaluation of denture maintenance, clinical inspection of the removable prosthesis was carried out using the Vigild criterion to observe the amount of plaque that was adhered to it. Data were statistically processed with Spearman's correlation test to determine the relationship between hygiene knowledge and denture maintenance. Results: The patients presented a medium (37.3%) and low (56.7%) denture hygiene knowledge; and fair (68.7%) and poor (11.9%) maintenance of their prosthesis. There is a statistically significant relationship between hygiene knowledge and denture maintenance (p<0.001). Conclusion: There is little knowledge of denture hygiene. This level of knowledge has a statistically significant relationship with the maintenance of the prostheses.