Personal Hygiene and Grooming
Cleaning Dentures
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Safety
- Dentures are a patient’s personal property, so be sure to handle them with care, because they are easy to break. When the patient is not wearing his or her dentures, store them in water in an enclosed cup labeled with the patient’s name.
- Observe standard precautions when providing care, including wearing clean gloves. Additional precautions requiring other personal protective equipment (PPE) may be necessary, depending on the patient’s condition.
- Monitor laboratory findings, such as coagulation studies, before administering oral care.
- Monitor patients who have diminished sensory perception, such as those with peripheral neuropathy.
Equipment
(Roll cursor over items to see labels)
Emesis basin
Soft-bristled toothbrush or denture toothbrush
Denture dentifrice or toothpaste
Denture dentifrice or toothpaste
Denture adhesive (optional)
Mouthwash or antibacterial solution (chlorhexidine)
Water pitcher and cup of cool water
4x4 inch gauze
Towel and washcloth
Denture cup (for storage)
Clean gloves
PrintableDelegation
The skill of denture care can be delegated to nursing assistive personnel (NAP). Be sure to inform NAP of the following:
- The importance of not using excessively hot or cold water when caring for dentures
- The need to inform you if there are cracks in the patient’s dentures
- The need to inform you if the patient has any oral discomfort
Preparation
- Assess the environment for safety, including checking the room for spills, making sure that equipment is working properly, and ensuring that the bed is in the locked, low position.
- Explain the procedure to the patient, and provide privacy.
- Determine if the patient can clean his or her own dentures independently or requires assistance. Dentures need to be cleaned as often as natural teeth.
- Ask the patient about denture care product preference.
- Fill an emesis basin with tepid water. (If using the sink, place a washcloth in the bottom of the sink, and fill the sink with approximately 1 inch [2.5 cm] of water.)
- Perform hand hygiene.
- Apply clean gloves.
Follow-up
- Ask the patient if any area of the oral cavity feels uncomfortable or irritated.
- Apply clean gloves, and inspect the condition of the patient’s oral cavity.
- Store dentures in tepid water or in a preferred soaking solution in a denture cup labeled with the patient’s name. Store the denture cup in a cool, secure place.
Documentation
- Record the denture care, and note the condition of the patient’s oral cavity
- Note any breaks, chips, or cracks in the dentures.
- Report any bleeding, pain, or presence of oral lesions to the nurse in charge or to the health care provider.
Review Questions
1. When preparing to clean a patient’s dentures using the sink, the nurse first protects the dentures by doing what?
Padding the sink basin with a washcloth 
Performing hand hygiene - Filling the sink with cold water
- Filling the sink with hot water
CORRECT. Padding the sink basin with a washcloth helps protect the patient’s dentures from being damaged during the cleaning process.
INCORRECT. Although performing hand hygiene is appropriate and reduces the risk of infection, doing so protects the patient, not the dentures.
INCORRECT. Cold water must not be used on dentures because it may cause them to crack.
INCORRECT. Hot water must not be used on dentures because it may cause them to warp.
2. What would the nurse instruct nursing assistive personnel (NAP) to report when performing denture care for a patient?
- The amount of time it takes to clean the patient’s dentures
- The appearance of any cracks in the dentures
- Any dietary preferences of the patient that could affect the teeth
- Whether the patient uses mouthwash
INCORRECT. NAP need not report to the nurse how long it takes to perform denture care for a patient.
CORRECT. NAP are instructed to report to the nurse if the dentures have any cracks. Such damage could injure the patient’s oral cavity, and the space could become colonized with bacteria.
INCORRECT. NAP need not report to the nurse the patient’s dietary preferences.
INCORRECT. NAP need not report to the nurse whether the patient uses mouthwash.
3. Under what circumstances would the nurse assume responsibility for providing denture care for a patient?
- Assessment of the oral cavity shows mucositis due to chemotherapy.
- The patient’s previous set of dentures was misplaced or thrown away.
- The dentures belong to the hospital or other facility, rather than to the patient.
- The patient is unable to care for the dentures on his or her own.
INCORRECT. The presence of mucositis due to chemotherapy would prompt the nurse to instruct the patient in proper oral hygiene techniques, such as use of a saline rinse, but would not lead the nurse to assume responsibility for the patient’s denture care.
INCORRECT. The patient’s having lost a set of dentures would not prompt the nurse to assume responsibility for the patient’s denture care.
INCORRECT. Dentures are a patient’s personal property and would not be owned by the hospital or other health care facility.
CORRECT. If a patient is unable to care for his or her dentures because of physical limitations, diminished consciousness, or other difficulties, the nurse becomes responsible for providing denture and oral care.
4. A patient tells the nurse that at home he cleans his dentures after every meal and before going to bed. When would denture care be planned for this patient while hospitalized?
- After breakfast and before going to bed
- With morning care
- With morning and evening care
- After every meal and before going to bed
INCORRECT. Dentures should be cleaned as often as natural teeth. The patient performs denture care at home after every meal and at bedtime, so this schedule should be maintained while the patient is hospitalized. Cleaning the dentures after breakfast and before going to bed is not frequent enough for this patient.
INCORRECT. Dentures should be cleaned as often as natural teeth. The patient performs denture care at home after every meal and at bedtime, so this schedule should be maintained while the patient is hospitalized. Providing denture care only with morning care is not frequent enough for this patient.
INCORRECT. Dentures should be cleaned as often as natural teeth. The patient performs denture care at home after every meal and at bedtime, so this schedule should be maintained while the patient is hospitalized. Providing denture care only with morning care and evening care is not frequent enough for this patient.
CORRECT. Dentures should be cleaned as often as natural teeth. The patient performs denture care at home after every meal and at bedtime, so this schedule should be maintained while the patient is hospitalized.
5. A patient has removed her dentures and placed them on the bedside stand. What would the nurse do to protect the patient’s dentures?
- Wrap the dentures in a paper towel.
- Store the dentures in the patient’s bedside stand, and notify other staff of where they have been placed.
- Obtain a denture cup, label it with the patient’s name, and store the dentures in a safe place.
- Wrap the dentures in a damp washcloth, and place them in a denture cup.
INCORRECT. Dentures cannot be safely stored in a paper towel. The dentures should be kept in tepid water in a labeled denture cup and then stored in a safe place.
INCORRECT. The dentures could still be damaged if they are not placed in a proper container before storage; in addition, notifying other staff of where the dentures have been stored is impractical. The dentures should be kept in tepid water in a labeled denture cup and then stored in a safe place.
CORRECT. To keep the dentures from getting lost or being thrown away, they should be placed in tepid water in a denture cup labeled with the patient’s name, and then stored in a safe place.
INCORRECT. Wrapping the dentures in a damp washcloth and placing them in a denture cup is not a safe way to store the dentures. The dentures should be placed in tepid water in a labeled denture cup and then stored in a safe place.
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