Introduction. One of the main factors of maintaining the success of prosthodontic treatment for a long period of time is regular proper denture hygiene by individuals with removable partial and complete dentures. Aim. The aim of this study was to evaluate the removable denture hygiene level and the degree of usage of hygiene products which are avaible on the market. Material and Methods. There were 98 patients with an average age of 64.7 years presenting at the Departament Prosthetic Dentistry of Poznań University of Medical Sciences. The time of usage of partial dentures was between 2 months and 30 years. The study was based on a questionnaire and clinical examination. Results. Dental plaque was assessed by means of Plaque Index (PI). The study showed that the oral hygiene level of the group was mainly between 1 PI (30.6%) and 1.5 PI (21.4%). Just over half of the patients (56%) stated to have regular control visits once a year and 59% received informations from their dentists on proper oral and denture hygiene. The majority of the patients reported cleaning their dentures with toothpaste (78.6%) and a toothbrush (80.6%). Based on the questionnaire only 34% of patients removed thier prosthesis overnight. Conclusions. It was concluded that patients have limited awareness of maintaining oral and denture hygiene, which should encourage dentist and dental hygienists to increase health educaton of patients in this area.

Key words: oral hygiene, denture plaque, removable dentures.