Assessment of Knowledge and Practices about Denture Hygiene among Complete Denture Wearers in Lahore City

Abstract

ccording to latest demographic data, life expectancy has increased in both developing and developed countries. The proportion of older people has increased in correspondence to the total population. Approximately 600 million people are of 60 or above worldwide and this number is expected to be doubled by 2025. The process of ageing is relentless leading to inconsistent homeostasis, raised susceptibility to chronic diseases alongwith decreased reconciliation to external environmental stimuli which affects bodily organs and systems. All these aspects are consociated with more predisposition to systemic diseases and death.1,2 Several current studies indicate that association is existing between oral diseases and systemic chronic diseases.3 Agonies of old age can be reduced by treating oral diseases alongwith systemic chronic diseases. Despite many advancements in preventive and conservative dentistry, various oral diseases like dental caries, tooth wear lesions, periodontal diseases, trauma and tumors of the jaw lead to loss of many teeth and ultimately edentulism.2 The most common treatment worldwide for edentulism is removable complete denture.2,4 Maintenance of optimum oral health in denture wearers becomes more difficult which can lead to malodor, poor esthetics, accumulation of plaque/calculus on denture, soft tissue pathologies and even complete failure of the prosthesis. In complete denture wearers, poor oral health can be attributed to inadequate oral hygiene, poor 1. FCPS Resident, Department of Prosthodontics, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore. 2. FCPS Resident, Department of Prosthodontics, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore. 3. FCPS Resident, Department of Prosthodontics, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore. 4. Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore. 5. Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, de’Montmorency College of Dentistry Punjab Dental Hospital, Lahore. Corresponding author: “Dr. Muhammad Asif Mushtaq” < dr.asif100@yahoo.com >