Assessment of oral care habits in patients with fixed dental prostheses: A pilot study

The aim of the present study was to evaluate patients’ oral care habits with fixed dental prostheses and the level of oral hygiene instructions they received from dental professionals. A short questionnaire was created containing 12 questions and focusing on four main parts. The first part of the questions included patient demographic information while the remaining part assisted patient’s oral care habits and instructions that patients received from their dentists and dental hygienists. The study population consisted of 259 patients in which 59% of them were female. Nearly 40% of the patients believed that they did not receive clear information and instructions from their dentists or hygienists on how to clean their fixed dental prosthesis. Although, most of them did visit their dentists and hygienists after they completed the fixed prosthesis treatment. Around 57% of the patients revealed that they did not try to seek information about the correct way of cleaning your fixed dental prosthesis. When they were asked about their cleaning habits of the fixed prosthesis, the majority reported that they use both toothbrush and flossing methods for cleaning. Most of patients with dental prosthesis believe they are lacking instructions about the proper method for optimal oral hygiene. Meanwhile, patients who believed that they received enough instructions with regard optimal oral hygiene can show better commitment toward daily oral care.