Lack of evidence about the effectiveness of the different denture cleaning methods.

Data Sources: Relevant studies were sourced by searching the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, Cochrane CENTRAL (Cochrane Library), Medline, Embase, LILACS and CINAHL. There were no language restrictions.

Study Selection: Randomised controlled trials (RCT) were considered if they compared any mechanical method (eg, brushing or ultrasound) or chemical (eg, enzymes, sodium hypochlorite, oral rinses or peroxide solutions) in adults over the age of 18 years who wore removable partial dentures or complete dentures.

Data Extraction And Synthesis: Two independent review authors screened and extracted information from, and independently assessed the risk of bias in, the included trials.

Results: Although six RCT were included in this review, the wide range of different interventions and outcome variables did not permit pooling of data in a meta-analysis. Isolated reports indicated that chemicals and brushing appear to be more effective than placebo in reducing plaque coverage and reducing microbial counts of anaerobes and aerobes on complete denture bases.

Conclusions: There is a lack of evidence about the comparative effectiveness of the different denture cleaning methods considered in this review. Few well-designed RCT were found. Future research should focus on comparisons between mechanical and chemical methods, should assess the association between methods, and consider primary variables and costs.