Dental condition and identification marking of dentures in homes for the elderly in Göteborg, Sweden.

Denture marking is of crucial importance especially in homes for the elderly where dentures could be misplaced, particularly during cleaning by staff where there is a chance of loss or mix-up. Recent research regarding denture marking in homes for the elderly shows that only about 50% of the dentures were marked and that the issue should receive attention. The aim of this study was to investigate the number of subjects with natural teeth and the number of edentulous subjects in homes for the elderly in Göteborg, Sweden. The results of the present work show that only about 35% of the complete dentures were ID-marked. Thus, even if the number of complete denture wearers is few, in Sweden presently there are predictions that dentures will become more common in the future, and also in other parts of the world owing to the socio-economic conditions of today and likely in the future.