Causes

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Designing dentures

A well-designed denture can restore chewing ability, improve speech, have aesthetic appeal and help maintain overall oral health.1

Creating functional and comfortable dentures requires careful custom planning and consideration of the following factors:1,2

  • Clinical
  • Anatomical
  • Technical

Principles of good denture design

Foundations of good denture design

Three overarching principles form the foundation of good denture design

For good denture design, the three overarching principles are:

  • Retention The denture should be resistant to the forces that can cause it to move vertically away from supporting tissues, that is the movement of the saddle away from the ridge.2,3
  • Stability The denture should be as stable as possible, resisting any lateral movement and avoiding constant reminders of its physical presence in the patient’s mouth.3-5
  • Support The denture should be resistant to the forces that may cause it to move towards the supporting tissues, that is, movement of the saddle towards the ridge.4
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Restricted oral anatomy and denture retention/stability

Restrictions in oral anatomy can limit denture retention and stability.6,7Best-fitting denture performance can be limited by oral anatomy,2 and can be gradually affected by bone resorption over time.7,8

Oral anatomy

Impact of oral anatomy

Factors limiting retention:

  • Surface area defined by individual oral anatomy6
  • Gradual physiological bone resorption over time7,8
  • Small lower jaw6
  • Flat alveolar ridges
  • Small basal seat6

Impact:

  • Low denture retention6,8and stability7
  • Poor chewing ability7,8
  • Poor denture satisfaction7

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Poor denture hygiene can compromise oral health9–11

  • The impact of poor oral hygiene

    Poor denture hygiene can compromise oral health9–11

    Poor hygiene with partial dentures may compromise the health of remaining natural teeth by:10

    • Harbouring bacteria and fungi, which may infect remaining teeth and oral surfaces12–14
    • Encouraging increased plaque accumulation, which may lead to caries and periodontitis10,11,15
    • For those with full dentures, poor hygiene can also result in plaque and calculus building up on the denture16,17
  • Inappropriate cleaning and denture damage

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    Keeping dentures clean

    Up to 80% of patients use a regular toothpaste to clean dentures8,9

  • Biofilm growth on dentures

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    Biofilm and calculus

    Up to 63% of individuals with full dentures have biofilm and calculus on their dentures.*9

    *In an observational study9

  • The danger of inadequate hygiene

    Poor denture hygiene may put full and partial denture wearers’ health at risk.9–11

  • Poor oral health

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    Hygiene-related design principles

    Poor oral health may affect an individual’s overall wellbeing as well as their oral health. Poor denture hygiene may also exacerbate risk of pneumonia.12

    Consideration of hygienic principles during the denture design process may help avoid the risk of hygiene-related complications by:4

    • Creating dentures that are easy to clean and care for
    • Avoiding unnecessary coverage of gingival tissues

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Inadequate denture cleaning may lead to denture stomatitis18,19

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Up to 88% of denture wearers do not clean their dentures effectively.20

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Up to 67% of full denture wearers have denture stomatitis.18

Denture stomatitis Still

Denture stomatitis

Denture stomatitis is commonly associated with a yeast infection that causes the area underneath the denture to become very red.

Left untreated, it can cause soreness of the mouth and may lead to poorly fitted dentures in the future.18–20

Stomatitis is caused by microbial biofilm on the denture-fitting surface (rather than the mucosal surface) and poorly fitted dentures.19

The prevalence of denture stomatitis is strongly linked with the amount of denture plaque.18

Denture hygiene infographic

Some of the denture-related factors associated with stomatitis.18

Effective education can reduce the risk of inadequate dental hygiene practices

Medical conditions and hygiene proficiency affect denture performance

Help denture wearers on their journey to optimal denture care

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Impact on quality of life

Find out about the impact that dentures have on daily lives.

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Diagnosis

Explore an overview of diagnosing issues with denture performance.

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Management

Explore an overview of maintaining the performance of dentures.

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Denture care

Find out more about denture care.

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The Polident range

Find out the Polident range.

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Patient care resources

Download resources for your patients.

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