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A simple, inexpensive microbiological assay for objective measurement of denture hygiene has been devised. Small individual filter paper discs were applied to the fitting surface of dentures for 20 seconds, eluted in phosphate buffered saline and bacterial counts on blood agar plates performed on the eluate. There was a strong positive correlation between denture cleanliness (graded on a scale of 0 to 4) and both total anaerobic count (r = 0.829; P < 0.001) and total aerobic count (r = 0.786; P < 0.001) following logarithmic transformation. Yeasts in the eluted disc specimens could be used as an aid to diagnose oral candidiasis. The method provided an objective measure of denture hygiene among elderly patients in longstay hospitals and daycare community places. It may be applicable to audit studies following implementation of new oral health care policies.

This procedure is easy to use and is cost-effective because it uses equipment that exist in any office or institution. The material used, transparency film for use with plain paper copier, is less expensive than either photographic slide film or normal slide films. Moreover, the transparency sheet can be used again for photocopying until the sheet is fully used up. There is no added cost of development of film, or is it necessary to wait for the whole roll of film to be used before the label can be retrieved and used. The background of the label is clear and only the black images of the characters of the label can be clearly seen. The effect of the transparency film, photocopy ink, and adhesive glue is not known. But no adverse effects have been noted. Microlabels have advantages over conventional labels with characters in font size 8 to 12, because more information, such as the full name of the patient, sex, country of origin, and national identification number can be incorporated. With more detailed information, quick identification of a deceased person can be made. Microlabels with a clear background will have minimal esthetic impact on the patient. The disadvantages of the technique is that it may not withstand a fire. In situations where the deceased body is badly burned, the denture and its identification strip may be burned, too. However, this risk can be minimized by placing the strip in the most posterior part of the denture-palatal in the maxillary denture and distal lingual in the mandibular denture. For testing of durability, dentures with the labels were placed in water for up to 4 months. The labels showed no sign of fading or deterioration.