Denture Hygiene Knowledge, Practices, and Stated Willingness to Use a Probiotic-Based Denture Cleanser Among Removable-Prosthesis Wearers at a Saudi University Dental Hospital: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Many denture wearers rely on ineffective home-care methods, and oral probiotics are an emerging hygiene adjunct of unclear acceptability. This study evaluated denture hygiene knowledge, self-reported practices, oral microbiome/probiotic awareness, and stated willingness to use a probiotic-based denture cleanser among Saudi removable-prosthesis wearers, and their association with objective clinical findings. Methods: In this single-center cross-sectional study, 107 removable-prosthesis wearers attending King Saud University Dental Hospital were recruited by convenience sampling. Participants completed a purpose-designed bilingual questionnaire assessed for content validity and test–retest reliability, and underwent a standardized clinical examination by one calibrated prosthodontist. A composite probiotic/microbiome knowledge score (0–4) was derived from four items. Outcomes included the Denture Cleanliness Index (DCI), biofilm accumulation, retention, stability, fit, and denture stomatitis. Non-parametric tests and multivariable logistic regression were used. Results: Mean age was 58.6 years (SD 13.2) and 58.9% were women. Although 97.2% considered denture cleaning important, evidence-based methods were used infrequently (cleansing tablets, 20.6%). Awareness of the oral microbiome (17.8%) and of oral probiotics (18.7%) was low, and 61.7% scored 0 or 1 of 4 on the composite knowledge score (mean 1.19). Self-reported cleaning frequency and knowledge score did not correlate with the DCI or biofilm scores. In exploratory models, female gender was associated with lower odds of both a low knowledge score and poor denture cleanliness. Overall, 51.4% said they would try a probiotic-based denture cleanser, 35.5% answered “Maybe”, and 13.1% were unwilling. Responses to this item were unstable on retest (κw = 0.169), so these figures are preliminary. Conclusions: In this single-center sample, perceived importance of denture hygiene was not matched by evidence-based cleaning practice, and self-reported hygiene did not correspond to objective denture cleanliness. Awareness of oral probiotics was low, while stated willingness to try a probiotic-based denture cleanser was common. These findings indicate a need for evidence-based denture-hygiene education and for clinical evaluation of probiotic-based denture cleansers; they do not establish the effectiveness or acceptability of such products.