Study of bacterial growth on a denture
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploratory in-house study to measure the rate of bacterial growth on a denture
IRAS ID
163123
Contact name
Alastair Lomax
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
Research summary
Prosthetic rehabilitation using removable full dentures is a treatment option for fully edentulous patients. Dentures are removable false teeth made of acrylic or metal, which fit snugly over the gums to replace missing teeth and eliminate potential problems caused by gaps.
It is known that complete dentures act as a reservoir for microbial colonization, which can lead to bad breath, gum disease, oral thrush and in some cases it has been associated with other serious health conditions such as pneumonia. Oral hygiene plays an important role in avoiding these adverse effects and studies suggest that regular oral maintenance may reduce the risks associated with bacterial growth.
The aim of this study is to determine a method for measuring the rate of bacterial growth on a full denture over a 24 hour period. This could be used to measure the effectiveness of denture cleansers in preventing bacterial growth.
The study will involve healthy volunteers with at least a full upper denture and will be carried out at the clinical facilities at GSK Consumer Healthcare, Weybridge. Participants will be asked to visit the clinic three times over a maximum of 4 weeks.
At screening (visit 1) participants will be asked to provide informed consent, and their eligibility to participate in the rest of the study will be determined. This visit will last approximately 30 minutes. If they are eligible they will be asked to return for 2 further visits, which will last approximately 6.5 and 1 hours respectively.
At each visit the oral examiner will examine participant’s mouths and take swab samples of the participant’s dentures. The samples will be taken using sterile nylon swabs, by rubbing them gently against the denture's surface. These swab samples will be analysed for bacterial content at the in-house microbiology laboratories.REC name
North West - Preston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/NW/1265
Date of REC Opinion
5 Sep 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion