AWARENESS OF EDENTULOUS PATIENTS USING COMPLETE DENTURES IN THE FIELD OF ORAL HYGIENE AND HYGIENIZATION OF RESTORATIONS

Abstract

Today, preventative medicine is almost as important as treatment. In dentistry, it also has its justification. Frequency and intensity of dental caries are still at a high level, and the percentage of edentulism is not decreasing. Therefore, condition of health awareness in Poland is still insufficient. Many patients have a misjudged belief that with the loss of own teeth, oral hygiene is unrequired. It is worth noticing, so in order to investigate the awareness of edentulous patients using complete dentures in the field of oral hygiene and hygienization of restorations an anonymous survey was conducted in a group of 80 people. The questionnaire included ten short questions about the level of oral hygiene from before loss of teeth, frequency and methods of cleaning dentures, the length of wearing dentures during the day and storage of dentures. It also contained questions about the frequency of dental appointments and the presence of any pathological symptoms on oral mucous membrane. From the survey, we can draw conclusion that the hygiene of dental restorations and edentolous oral cavity continues to be unsatisfying. Patients do not receive any informations on the correct hygienization or they are transferred in a unintelligible way. Repeatedly, instructions given to patient are inconsistent, what discourages proper care for hygiene. Perhaps it is worth considering to define clear guidelines to hygienization for edentolous patients.