Antimicrobial properties of denture adhesives: A scoping review

Denture adhesives have been a focus in prosthodontic research for many years because of the consistently high demand for these products. However, systematic investigations into their antimicrobial properties or effectiveness are limited.

The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate and evaluate articles on the antimicrobial activity of denture adhesives.

The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to describe the result of the scoping review. Four electronic databases were searched for articles in the English language up to October 2023.

A total of 597 published articles were identified, and 40 met the selection criteria for review. Of these, 17 articles reported that denture adhesives with added antimicrobial agents demonstrated antimicrobial effects. Eight articles detailed the antimicrobial effectiveness of denture adhesives that did not contain added antimicrobial agents. Additionally, 11 articles compared the antimicrobial effectiveness of denture adhesives without additional agents. The results varied, with some adhesives showing antimicrobial effects while others with similar compositions did not. Studies indicate that some denture adhesives exhibit antifungal or antibacterial effects; however, whether these effects are associated with the included antimicrobial agents or components or other ingredients is unclear.

Although extensive studies have attempted to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of commercially available denture adhesives and to incorporate additional antimicrobial agents into them, whether the incorporated antimicrobial agents are effective or whether the effects are caused by other ingredients remains unclear.