DENTURE CLEANING

Abstract: Dentures can be cleaned by immersing them for from four to thirty minutes in a seven-to-eight percent by weight aqueous solution of citric acid. The solution may also include a suitable wetting agent, a bactericide-mycocide, and isopropyl alcohol.

Description: S .. P E C :E I_ C A T I. O N This invention relates to a method and a compo¬ sition for cleaning dentures. Background of the Invention While icrobial plaque on the tissue surface of dentures has the- same basic structure as plaque on natural teeth, the dentures of some patients exhibit a significantly higher concentration of bacteria. Apparently, yeasts are in¬ volved and there may be other microorganisms. Hence, routine denture cleaning should be effective in removing and pre¬ venting reaccumulation of microbial plaque and also in re¬ moving mucin, food debris, calculus and exogenous dis¬ coloration. Proper hygienic care of removable dentures is important for maintaining a healthy oral mucosa in denture wearers. Denture cleanliness is often poor, because of im¬ proper mechanical cleansing and because of the relative in¬ efficiency of most commercial products for chemical cleansing of dentures. Currently, the most common type of routine denture cleansing, brushing with tap water, using either soap or toothpaste, can be effective, when practiced meticulously, in improving denture cleanliness and maintaining a healthy mucosa beneath removable dentures. However, denture cleanli¬ ness is reported to be generally poor, and denture wearers seem to be able to adjust more easily to wearing unclean dentures than they are to brushing properly. Wear on dentures increases with the increasing diameter of the bristles and decreases with increasing length of the bristles. All powders and pastes increase the amount of wear on dentures. Products containing insoluble calcium carbonate, for example, are highly abrasive. There does not seem to be a direct relationship between the cleansing and polishing potential and the abrasive effect of a toothpaste on acrylic resin dentures. For example, toothpastes contain¬ ing chloroform have been shown to cause severe denture wear, due to some solubility of acrylic resin in chloroform. It has been hoped that efficient chemical denture cleansers could become- important alternatives to mechanical cleansing, especially among geriatric or handicapped denture wearers. Yet, although many trade products are available to the general public, their effectiveness has not been proved conclusively. The immersion-type chemical denture cleansers heretofore in use include alkaline peroxides (percarbonate perborate), alkaline hypochlorites, certain dilute acids, disinfectants, and enzymes. Alkaline peroxide cleansers are the most commonly used denture cleansers. They include powders or tablets which become alkaline solutions of hydrogen peroxide when dissolved in water. This type of cleanser usually combines alkaline detergents, to reduce surface tension, and agents such as sodium perborate or percarbonate which release oxygen from the solution. The oxygen bubbles are supposed to exert a mechanical cleansing effect.. Clinical studies on the effectiveness of peroxide cleansers have given varied results. They seem to be most effective on new plaque and stains when the denture is soaked in the chemical solution for several hours or overnight. These products are not ef¬ fective when a 15-to 30-minute soaking period is used., even though some manufacturers recommend this short period. Also, there is evidence that peroxide cleansers when used for routine denture cleansing may cause bleaching of acrylic resin. Soft or resilient denture liners are very susceptibl to the harmful effects of peroxide cleansers. Hypochlorite cleansers, though effective with over night immersion, should be used only intermittently because of bleaching, e.g., once a week. Even then, hypochlorite may damage a cobalt-chromium or stainless steel base. Com¬ mercial cleansers based on hydrochloric acid are hazardous. Dilute acetic acid and similar acids may be used to dissolve calculus by overnight immersion, but should be used only at weekly or biweekly intervals because they are corrosive. Cleansers capable of operating with only a 15-min- ute-or-less immersion period and light brushing and rinsing for daily maintenance, would be more readily accepted by patients than those requiring overnight immersion. However such products have not heretofore.been commercially avail¬ able. It is important that such a solution cleanser not only maintain plaque-free dentures with a daily soaking period of less than 30-minutes (the shorter the better) , but also that it not affect the color and surface luster of the denture acrylic resin. Summary of the Invention This invention provides a denture cleanser that is effective in maintaining plaque-free dentures, when used as a diluted soaking solution daily for periods of about four to thirty minutes, followed by very light brushing off and rinsing. Even che toughest calcium deposits, plaque, tartar, and stains may be cleaned from dentures within about twenty.minutes with rubbing with gauze containing undiluted cleanser. Four minutes suffices for normal cleaning main¬ tenance. This- new cleanser basically relies on dilute citric acid. In addition, it preferably employs a wetting agent and a bacterial agent or bacteristat, preferably one which is also a mycostat or mycocide, such as methyl paraben and similar materials. To improve aqueous solubility, of the citric acid isopropyl alcohol may be used. Isopropyl alcohol not only prevents precipitation of the citric acid during storage and at low temperatures, it also improves the clean¬ ing action. Detailed Description of the Invention The invention is preferably prepared as a concen¬ trate to be diluted upon use. • The concentrate employs citric acid at about 30% in aqueous solution, with or without iso¬ propyl alcohol to enhance the solubility. Dilution Is nor¬ mally at about 4 to 1, with water, and the soaking period need last only about four to thirty minutes, depending on how bad the stains are. When used daily at the beginning of use of-a new denture, . four .or five minutes soaking in freshly diluted solution are adequate. Typical ranges of the concentrate are as follows : Water 40 to 70% Citric Acid - 28 to 32% Wetting Agent 2.5 to 7.5% Isopropyl Alcohol 7 to 10% Bactericide Enough to be effective Food Coloring 0.04% The formulation is, in some instances, used full strength, and i other instances is diluted up to about a 4:1 dilution (four parts water to one of concentrate) . A preferred bactericide + mycocide is methyl paraben (p-hydroxybenzoic acid, methyl ester) which is pre¬ ferably used at a concentration of about 0.20% in the above concentrate, yielding 0.05% in the diluted cleaner. It can be used in a range of 0.25% to 0.10% in the concentrate as shown below. Some typical ' bacterio- yco stats and cides and their concentrations are as follows, though others may be used: Preferred Concen¬ tration in con¬ Flange in Material centrate Concentrate Methyl paraben 0.20% 0. .10 - 0 , . 25% Rose bengal 0.02% 0. . 06 - 0. . 01% Malachite green 0.02% 0. . 06 — 0. . 01% Captan 0.25% 0. . 50 - 0. . 10% While some cleansers on the market have incorpo-■ • rated citric acid as a minor ingredient, apparently in order to react with sodium bicarbonate to produce effervescence, none has used citric acid in the concentrations used here. For example, when the present concentrate is diluted at 4 to 1, the pH is about 1.9, whereas a prime-art effervescing denture cleaner containing citric acid, when diluted as recommended by the manufacturer, produces a pH of about 5.8. The following examples have all been found opera¬ tive: Example 1. Ingredient Parts by Weight Water 53.37 Citric Acid 31.70 Sodium lauryl sulfate 6.0 Isopropyl alcohol 8.69 Methyl paraben 0.20 Food Coloring (e.g. Schilling) 0.04 Example 2. Ingredient Parts by Weight Water - 54.91 Citric Acid 31.80 Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate 4.56 Isopropyl alcohol 8.69 Blue Food Coloring » (e.g. Schilling) 0.04 Example 3. - Ingredient Parts by Weiaht Water 67.96 Citric Acid 29.13 - Sodium lauryl- sulfate 2.91 Example 4. Insredient Parts by Weisht Water 67.96 - Citric Acid 29.13 Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate 2.91 Example 5. Insredient Pa s bv Weisht Wa er 67.96 Citric Acid 29.13 Alkyl phenoxy polyechoxy ethanol 2. 91 • In all instances, these were diluted for use by water at four parts water to one of the concentrate. Each was found to be effective as scared above. The composition can be used full strength, cr can be diluted with water from about 1 to 1 to about 4 parts of water to 1 part of the con¬ centrate. If prepared directly as a dilute solution, the cleaner needs no isopropyl alcohol and the concentration of citric acid will be about 7%, to about 8%. The concentration of the wetting agent may be about 0.5%. to about 2.5%. Normal maintenance requires only a daily soaking at the 1 to 4 dilution of the concentrate, preferably follo ed by light brushing and rinsing off in water. For badly stained dentures, they may be soaked in either, the full- • strength composition or in a 1:1 dilution thereof for six to eight hours a day for about a week, each time followed , by scrubbing with gauze containing the undiluted composition i and then rinsing. Once the dentures have thereby been re¬ stored to normal conditions, the daily use of four minute ' , soaking in the dilute 1:4 solution in water, followed by a ■light brushing off any residue, and rinsing, is sufficient for maintenance. To those skilled in the art to which this inven¬ tion relates, many changes in construction and widely dif¬ fering embodiments and applications of the invention will suggest themselves without departing from the spirit and ' scope of the invention. The disclosures and the description herein are purely illustrative and are not intended to be in any sense limiting.

Claims: WE CLAIM 1. A method of cleaning dentures, comprising soaking them in an aqueous solution consisting essentially of water and from about six to about thirty-two percent by weight of citric acid for from four minutes to several hours, brushing them off, and rinsing them with water. 2. A method of cleansing dentures, comprising soaking them for from four minutes to about eight- hours in a solution consisting essentially of water and from about six to about thirty-two percent by weight of citric acid, a wetting agent at about 0.4% to about 10%, and isopropyl alcohol up to about ten percent, brushing them off, and rinsing them with water. 3. A method of cleaning and at least partially sterilizing dentures comprising soaking the dentures for from four minutes'to several hours in aqueous solution consisting essentially of water and by weight citric acid at about six to about thirty-two percent, isopropyl alcohol up to about ten percent, wetting agent at about 0.4% to about 10%, and a bactericide-mycocide at a small but an effective amount, brushing them off and rinsing them with water. 4. A method of cleaning dentures for daily maintenance, comprising soaking them in an aqueous solution consisting essentially of water and approximately six-to- eight percent by weight of citric acid for from four to thirty minutes, lightly brushing off any residue, and rinsing the dentures with water. 5. A method of cleaning dentures for daily maintenance, comprising daily soaking them for from four to thirty minutes in a solution consisting essentially of water and about six to about eight percent by weight of citric acid, a wetting agent at about 0.5%, to about 2.5%, and isopropyl alcohol at about seven to about ten percent, rsREΛ tr r~ ' τ' l— lightly brushing off any residue, and rinsing them off with water. 6. A method of cleaning and at least partially sterilizing dentures comprising daily soaking the dentures for from four to thirty minutes in aqueous solution con¬ sisting essentially of water and by weight citric acid at about six to about eight percent, isopropyl alcohol at about seven to about ten percent, wetting agent at about 0.5% to about 2.5%, and a bactericide-mycocide at a small but an effective amount, lightly brushing off any residue, and rinsing the dentures with water. 7. A method of cleaning badly stained dentures, comprising soaking them in an aqueous solution consisting essentially of water and approximately 32 to 14 percent by weight of citric acid from about six to about eight hours daily for several days, each time following the soaking by scrubbing them with the solution, and then rinsing them off with water. 8. A method of cleaning dentures, comprising soaking them for from about six to about eight hours in a solution consisting essentially of water and about four¬ teen to about thirty-two percent by weight of citric acid, a wetting agent at about 1% to about 10%, and isopropyl alcohol at about three to about ten percent. 9. A method of cleaning and at least partially sterilizing dentures comprising soaking the dentures for about six to about eight hours in aqueous solution contain¬ ing by weight citric acid at about fourteen to about thirty- two percent, Isopropyl alcohol at about three to about ten percent, wetting agent at about 1.0%> to about 10%,, and a bactericide-mycocide at a small but effective amount. 10. A denture cleaning solution consisting essentially of water, citric acid at about six to about thirty-two percent by weight, wetting agent at about 0.5% to about 2.5% by weight, and isopropyl alcohol at about seven to about ten percent. 11. The solution of claim 10 including a small but effective amount of bactericide-mycocide. 12. A denture cleaning solution consisting essentially of water, citric acid at about 6% to about 8% by weight, wetting agent at about 0.4% to about 2.5% by weight, and isopropyl alcohol up to about ten percent. 13. The solution of claim 12 including a small but effective amount of bactericide. 14. A concentrate for use as a denture cleanser, upon dilution by approximately four times its amount by weight of: citric acid 28% to 32% wetting agent 2.0% to 10% Isopropyl alcohol 0.0% to 10% bactericide-mycocide effective amount, near minimum water remainder 15. The concentrate of claim 14 wherein said wetting agent is chosen from the group consisting of sodium lauryl sulfate, dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate, and alkyl phenoxy polyethoxy ethanol. 16. The concentrate of claim 1.4 wherein said bactericide is chosen from the groups consisting of: Parts by Weight Methyl ester of p-hydroxybenzoic acid 0.10% to 0.25% E.ose bengal 0.01% to 0.06% Malachite green 0.01% to 0.06% Captan 0.10% to 0.50% 17. In the method of cleaning dentures wherein a denture is soaked in a cleansing solution, removed therefrom, scrubbed or brushed, and then rinsed, the improvement wherein said cleansing solution consists essentially of from about six to about 32 percent by weight citric acid, about 0.4% to about 10% of a wetting agent, and up to about 10% isopropyl alcohol.

Inventors: GLACE W, IBSEN R, REED W
Applicants: GLACE W, IBSEN R, REED W
Application year: 1981
Main classification: B08B1
IPC codes: A61K8, A61Q11, B08B3, C11D3