ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic over the past year has raised concern regarding the precautions needed to be taken to prevent cross-infection in the field of dentistry, as the virus is highly contagious and life-Threatening. At least half of the population above the age of 50 years are denture wearers. These dentures act as a base for the colonization of microorganisms, hence raise the chances of cross-contamination. When the patient wears contaminated dentures, the most common manifestation it may cause is oral candidiasis or denture-related stomatitis, this fungal infection leads to white or red sores, bleeding, swelling and burning sensations in the oral cavity. As the patient s oral cavity is a sterile tissue with mucous membranes, incompetent sterilisation of dentures bears the risk associated with the break of host barriers and carrying of environmental pathogens (e.g., Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The application of an improper sterilisation method in the maintenance of dental appliance mainly the complete denture concerns not only the patients but also the dental personnel and prosthesis laboratory. The first studies on microwave sterilisation of dentures were performed to confirm the potent of microwave sterilisation in preventing microorganisms attached to complete dentures prosthesis. Using different methods, definite results were obtained by studies, confirming that microwave irradiation can be an efficient technique in sterilizing the complete dentures prosthesis. Thus, executing microwave irradiation of a complete denture before it is brought to a lab, and immediately before it is placed in the patient s mouth, acts as a means of infection prevention system for all individuals. Microwave sterilisation of dentures has been recommended for denture sterilisation but its effect on the dimensional property of a complete denture still needs to be focused on. Hence, the current review presents the effect of microwave sterilisation on the physical properties, mainly the dimensional stability of the complete denture base. © (2022) Society for Biomaterials & Artificial Organs #20051922.