The efficacy of denture cleansers

The efficacy of two soaking cleansers, a toothbrush/paste and a brush with soap and water have been compared in relation to their ability to remove three types of soil from dentures. A 4 week cross-over trial involving a panel of 80 volunteers was used. Each denture was scored for stain, calculus and disclosed plaque, both before and after cleaning with one of the chosen cleaners. A soaking cleanser used at 50 degrees C was more effective than the other products at removing plaque and stain. There was no difference amongst the materials in terms of calculus removal, the scores being low in all cases. The reliability of scoring is influenced by the presence of large numbers of low 'before-cleaning' scores. This problem can be overcome by using a selection criterion which requires a certain minimum level of soil to be present before cleaning.