THE STUDY OF ETIOLOGICAL FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DENTURE STOMATITIS IN AN INDIAN POPULATION

Aim: The aim of this study is to find out the possible etiological factors for denture stomatitis (DS) in completely edentulous denture wearing patients by cross-sectional study. Material and Methods: Population for this cross-sectional study consisted of 60 completely edentulous denture wearing patients residing in Ahmedabad, India. Data collection was done by questionnaire, oral examination and denture evaluation. All the data were analyzed using the software SPSS. Qualitative data were analyzed by Chi-square test and quantative data were analyzed by student t test. Results: This study showed 28% prevalence of denture stomatitis (17 out of 60 examined patients) in this study population. Many factors can be associated with DS, but present study showed significant correlation between Continuous denture wearing, Age of denture, Denture hygiene, Candidiasis, Lack of denture stability,  Decrease VDO, High sugar intake, Hypo salivation, Low salivary pH. Conclusion: Apart from infection, particularly with C.albicans, denture related factors can also cause denture stomatitis and these prosthetic factors appear to play mainly a traumatic role in the occurrence of DS. Patient should be motivated to practice proper denture wearing habits and maintenance of oral hygiene and follow a program of recall and maintenance for continuous monitoring of dentures and oral tissues. Keywords: Denture stomatitis, Denture hygiene, Retention, Stability, Vertical dimension.