Evaluation of two methods of scoring denture plaque

Area of Science:

• Oral health research
• Biomaterials science
• Dental prosthetics

Background:

• Denture plaque accumulation poses a risk to oral health.
• Accurate quantification of denture plaque is essential for evaluating preventative strategies.
• Previous studies have explored enzymatic treatments like alcalase for plaque reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the reliability of two distinct methods for quantifying denture plaque.
• To assess the consistency of plaque scoring by individual examiners (intra-examiner) and between different examiners (inter-examiner).
• To evaluate the correlation between the two plaque quantification methods.

Main Methods:

• Two photographic scoring methods were employed to quantify plaque on the fitting surface of maxillary dentures.
• Method 1 involved estimating the percentage of plaque coverage in 10% intervals.
• Method 2 involved ranking dentures based on plaque area and staining.
• Reliability was assessed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and Kendall's tau.

Main Results:

• Both plaque quantification methods demonstrated high intra-examiner reliability.
• High inter-examiner reliability was achieved for both methods.
• A significant positive correlation was found between the results obtained from the two different quantification methods.

Conclusions:

• The two methods evaluated are reliable for quantifying denture plaque.
• These validated methods can be confidently used in future studies on denture plaque management.
• High consistency in plaque assessment supports the findings of studies utilizing these techniques.