Denture characteristics, oral hygiene practice and periodontal changes of partial denture wearers and non-denture wearers in a Teaching Hospital- A comparative study

Background: There can be localized periodontal inflammation around abutment teeth of dentures as a result of plaque accumulation. This study assessed the periodontal changes of removable partial denture wearers compared to that of non-denture wearers.

Methodology: Participants were recruited from the prosthodontic and restorative outpatient clinics of Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The self-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on socio-demographics, denture characteristics, periodontal changes and oral hygiene practice of participants. Periodontal status assessed included gingival inflammation, plaque accumulation and tooth mobility. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20 (IBM SPSS Armonk, New York) and presented as frequencies and percentages. Test for significance was done using Chi-square statistics, and the level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: A total of 96 participants between age 16 and 74years were recruited with mean age of 40±14.5years. There were 56 females and 40 males (F:M; 1.4:1). Fifty-four denture wearers and forty-two non-denture wearers were recruited into the study. Among participants wearing partial denture, 49(90.7%) had gingival inflammation; 45(91.8%) had mild inflammation compared to 4.8% participants who are non-denture wearers. 29(53.7%) denture wearers had fair oral hygiene while most 31(73.8%) non-denture wearers had excellent oral hygiene. Abutment teeth in denture wearers had tooth recession; mostly on the upper arch and also posteriorly.

Conclusion: The periodontal inflammation, tooth recession and mobility in denture wearers were worse compared to non-denture wearers. Thus, they need to be motivated for more adequate oral hygiene practices and have regular recall system to monitor their periodontal health.