Clinical effects of glazing denture acrylic resin bases using an ultraviolet curing method

Control of denture plaque accumulation is essential to obtain and maintain a healthy oral mucosa in denture wearers. The present study was designed to study the effect on denture plaque accumulation and denture stomatitis of coating the fitting denture surface by a glaze. Twenty-one subjects wearing complete dentures participated in the study. Glazing of the denture surface was performed using a Perma Cure System. Plaque accumulation was studied clinically and using a semiquantitative microbiologic technique. Plaque accumulation on the glazed and the non-glazed halves of the fitting denture surface was compared after 1 wk. There was significantly less plaque on the glazed half of the denture (P less than 0.001), and the calculated number of CFU of bacteria/cm2 was significantly lower from the test area of the glazed half than from the test area of the non-glazed half of the denture (P less than 0.001). When the patients were re-examined 1 month after the entire fitting denture surface had been glazed plaque scores, yeast scores and number of CFU of bacteria/cm2 were not significantly different from those observed before glazing. There was a reduction of the erythema of the palatal mucosa in 14/19 patients with denture-induced stomatitis. The study indicates that coating of the fitting denture surface by a glaze may be a means to improve denture cleanliness; however, the present glazing system should be further developed to produce a more uniform glazing.