Denture identification marking should be standard practice

The focus of this opinion article is to revisit whether denture identification marking should be routine and standard practice at manufacture in the United Kingdom. The benefits of denture identification marking are evident in the literature particularly for those who are in residential care or who will have to seek care due to dementia or physical frailty; however, within the UK it is not normally practised. Many patients would appear to be unaware of denture marking, but present positive attitudes towards it. Results of a survey of UK dental laboratories would indicate that the vast majority of them offer an inclusion denture marking service with a mean cost of £5 per denture. Is the lack of denture marking in the UK due to dental professionals having differences in opinion, lack of education of professionals in training or financial disincentives?