Effects of Denture Cleaning by Low-cost Electric Toothbrush

Abstract

Objective: Maintaining a good denture hygiene is essential for the prevention of denture stomatitis. In particular, old and frail elderly denture wearers seems to perform self-care of their denture unsatisfactorily, due to gradual deteriorating physical condition through advancing age and the assistance of the caregiver in daily oral care becomes indispensable. Although chemical cleaning has been long established, residual biofilm retention could lead to regrowth and denture colonization of microorganism. Therefore, using low-cost electric toothbrush, which has a simple design and operation, may seem a good choice for the aged population. In the current study, mechanical and microbiological effects on heat-cured poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) dental prostheses were investigated. Method: Heat-cured PMMA specimens beam with dimension of 45.0 x 6.5 x 4.5 mm was fabricated according to standard method. The specimens were kept in water storage at 37 ° C for 0, 1, 7, 15, 30 and 60 days (n=12). Test specimens underwent brushing using the low-cost electric toothbrush at 2.00 N (force measured at brushing head) for 22 min with water as medium. Surface roughness measurement (Ra), flexural strength and efficacy of brushing to remove coated Candida albicans biofilm were investigated.

Result: The results of mean Ra and flexural strength were analysed by using 2-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test at 5% significance level. In general, the specimens showed no significant changes in flexural strength after brushing (p=0.452). Water storage contributed a significantly effects (p=0.006) on specimens' flexural strength. Mean Ra was decreased significantly from 0.29 ± 0.06 μm before brushing to 0.27 ± 0.06 μm after brushing (p=0.022). SEM micrographs of post-brushed specimens revealed satisfactory removal of Candida albican biofilm.

Conclusion: Low-cost electric toothbrush together with liquid medium seemed to be a successful device to clean dental acrylic prostheses without compromising with the mechanical properties.