Efficacy of Three Denture Brushes on Biofilm Removal from Complete Dentures

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of three denture brushes (Bitufo-B; Medic Denture-MD; Colgate-C) on biofilm removal from upper and lower dentures using a specific dentifrice (Corega Brite). The correlation between biofilm levels on the internal and external surfaces of the upper and lower dentures was also evaluated. A microbiological assay was performed to assess the growth of colony-formed units (cfu) of Candida yeasts on denture surface. Thirty-three patients were enrolled in a 10-week trial divided in two stages: 1 (control) - three daily water rinses within 1 week; 2 - three daily brushings within 3 weeks per tested brush. Internal (tissue) and external (right buccal flange) surfaces of the complete dentures were disclosed (neutral red 1%) and photographed. Total denture areas and disclosed biofilm areas were measured using Image Tool 3.00 software for biofilm quantification. Dentures were boxed with #7 wax and culture medium (CHROMagar Candida) was poured to reproduce the internal surface. Statistical analysis by Friedman's test showed significant difference (p<0.01) between control and brushing stages. No difference was found among the brushes with respect to their efficacy on biofilm removal (p>0.01). Analysis by the Correlation test showed higher r values (B=0.78; MD=0.8341, C=0.7362) for the lower dentures comparing the surfaces (internal and external) and higher r values (B=0.7861, MD=0.7955, C=0.8298) for the external surface comparing the dentures (upper and lower). The results of the microbiological showed no significant difference (p>0.01) between the brushes with respect to the frequency of the species of yeasts (chi-square test). In conclusion, all denture brushes evaluated in this study were effective in the removal of biofilm. There was better correlation of biofilm levels between the surfaces for the lower dentures, and between the dentures for the external surface. There was no significant difference among the brushes regarding the frequency of yeasts.