Age and maintenance of removable dentures in Finland

The age and maintenance of dentures, and denture-cleaning habits, were studied by an interview survey. The material represented nation-wide the Finnish population aged greater than or equal to 15 years old, and there were 957 interviewees, of whom 328 were denture wearers. In total, 45% of the upper and 40% of the lower dentures were over 10 years old. More than one-third of the dentures more than 5 years old had never been maintained during that time. Individuals whose dentures had been made and fitted by dental technicians visited dentists less frequently than individuals whose dentures had been made by dentists. Over 80% of the denture wearers reported cleaning their dentures by brushing at least once a day, and women cleaned them more frequently than men. The present findings suggest that denture wearers should be a special target group for dental health education, for the development of the latter, and for the development of dental health care services in the future.