Denture-related oral mucosal lesions among removable denture wearers referred to clinics of Kerman, Iran

BACKGROUND and AIM: Since increasing the proportion of elderly in the world, so oral lesions related to removable denture-wearing are an important issue. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of denture-related oral mucosal lesions (DMLs) in removable denture wearers referred to clinics of Kerman, Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 350 removable denture wearer, with mean age 58.52 ± 10.78 years old, that had been selected by multistage clustering sample from individuals who referred to Kerman clinics. The data were obtained by a checklist consist of demographic characteristics (sex, age, and educational level) self-reported daily denture hygiene frequency, age of prosthesis and clinical examination. Data were analyzed in SPSS using chi-square and t-tests. P value was considered at 5% significant level. RESULTS: The results showed 71.8% of the denture wearers had denture related mucosal lesions. The most common lesion was denture stomatitis 36.6% followed by traumatic ulcer 26.5% and angular cheilitis 8.7%. There were significant differences between night wearing denture and age of prosthesis and denture-related mucosal lesions (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The finding of this study showed the prevalence of denture-related mucosal lesions is common. Dentists should be instruct the patients for removing the denture at night and routine follow-up visits.