New global guidelines have been announced to tackle the lack of advice in the best use of denture adhesives with complete edentulous patients. Developed by a global task force, the new science-based guidelines have been announced today by the Oral Health Foundation and have been made possible because of a project sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
The research project reinforces the patient benefits of using denture adhesives for ‘well-fitting’ dentures. These benefits include improved retention and stability, improved confidence and comfort and reduction or elimination of food debris beneath the denture.
The White Paper entitled “Guidelines for the Use of Denture Adhesives and their benefits for Oral and General Health,” has been published by a group of academic experts. The panel undertook a comprehensive review of existing guidance for best use of denture adhesives.
David Felton, Dean and Professor of The University of Mississippi Medical Center states, “There is a lack of scientific evidence on the best use of denture adhesives for edentulous patients, including their application, removal and frequency of use. With that in mind, the Oral Health Foundation recently convened a panel of global experts to review existing evidence and practices and have developed a white paper entitled, “Guidelines for the Use of Denture Adhesives and their Benefits for Oral and General Health.” While additional research is still required, the Oral Health Foundation White Paper on denture adhesives provides guidance and a level of confidence to dental health professionals on when and how to recommend denture adhesives to denture wearers, to improve performance of well-fitting dentures.”
The task force included experts from the UK, USA, Greece, Japan and Switzerland and was convened to reflect the global need for advice for denture wearers given the aging population around the world. By 2050, there is expected to be 2 billion people aged 60 years or older in the world – this represents 16% of the population and is triple the figure for this age group in 2010.1
Dr. Nigel Carter OBE, Chief Executive of the Oral Health Foundation comments, “the current lack of guidance on the use of denture adhesives may mean that denture wearers are left confused. The evidence is clear; using an adhesive can provide benefits for patients with best-fitting dentures both in terms of function, confidence and comfort. These new guidelines will give dental professionals the confidence to know how and when to recommend denture adhesives for maximum patient benefit.”
The simple steps for application of a denture adhesive can be summarised as follows:
Make sure your denture is clean and dry. Put a small amount of denture adhesive cream onto it. (You should only need to do this once a day.)
Put the denture into your mouth and firmly close the mouth for a couple of seconds. If the adhesive cream overflows you have used too much. Remove any spare adhesive, don’t swallow it. Don’t eat or drink anything for 5 minutes.
Before you sleep, take your denture out. Clean the denture and the inside of your mouth thoroughly to remove any adhesive.
Ask your dentist for a regular appointment so they can check your mouth and dentures.
The guidelines are released during the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) 2019 meeting in Vancouver, Canada which takes place June 19-22 and a webinar will be available for professionals with further background to the project.
The denture adhesive guidelines will complement the white paper on Optimal Care and Maintenance of Full Dentures for Oral and General Health published in 2018 and together form a comprehensive resource on full dentures for dental professionals, care givers, and denture wearers.
Global Health and Ageing. World Health Organisation. Available online at https://www.who.int/ageing/publications/global_health.pdf?ua=1
Sponsorship for the development of the new guidelines was provided by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare to the Oral Health Foundation. No editorial control, apart from ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory considerations/requirements, has been exercised by GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare.
About GSK
GlaxoSmithKline is a science-led healthcare company with a special purpose: to help people do more, feel better, live longer. We have 3 global businesses that research, develop and manufacture innovative pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. Our goal is to be one of the world’s most innovative, best performing and trusted healthcare companies. Our Consumer Healthcare business develops and markets an innovative portfolio of consumer preferred and expert recommended brands in the Oral health, Pain relief, Respiratory, Skin health, Nutrition and Digestive Health categories. We have a range of Denture Care brands with Polident/Corega/Poligrip as the No.1 Denture Care brand. Visit www.gsk.com for more information.
