The Effectiveness of Seven Denture Cleansers on Tea Stain Removal from PMMA Acrylic Resin

Purpose: In this study, seven denture cleansers were evaluated for their mode of action of tea stain removal from Perspex acrylic resin material. Materials and Methods: Perspex acrylic resin specimens were stained using a combination of chlorhexidine and tea solution. The specimens were also treated with saliva to form an initial pellicle layer and facilitate the uptake of the stain. The capacity for stain removal was determined by measuring the optical density of the treated specimens by using a spectrophotometer. These were then exposed, for 5 minutes, to seven denture cleansers to demonstrate the percentage stain-removal ability of each cleanser. The same procedure was applied for roughened Perspex acrylic resin specimens. Water was used as a control in the two parts of the experiment. Results: The products containing alkaline hypochlorite had the highest ability for removing stain from the acrylic resin material together with a bleaching effect. The results varied when the same denture cleansers were used on the roughened Perspex surface, and this was attributed to the presence of irregularities and porosities on the blocks. Conclusion: Denture cleansing agents containing hypochlorite and Boots Denture Cleaning Powder (constituents not stated by the manufacturer) exhibited the ability to remove stain from the denture base materials most effectively. Irregularities and porosities present on the denture surface played a major role in reducing the activity of denture cleaning agents and hence increased stain and plaque retention.