CNA Skill: Denture Care | Step-by-Step Guide for the Florida Exam

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Denture care tests your ability to safely clean a resident's denture and provide mouth care to their gums. In the test scenario, the resident is sitting at an overbed table and the denture is already in a denture cup; you do not remove it from or place it back into the resident's mouth. This skill requires careful handling (dentures are expensive and fragile) and strict infection control.

You may hear this skill described in two ways: cleaning the denture only, or full mouth care for a resident who wears dentures. Florida's official checklist scores the combined version: cleaning the resident's gums with a moistened foam swab, then brushing the denture at the sink. Practice the full version, the way our course video demonstrates it, and you are covered either way.

Equipment and Supplies Needed

• 2 towels
• Denture brush or toothbrush
• Toothette (foam-tipped applicator)
• Toothpaste
• Denture cup (denture case)
• Emesis basin
• Cup of water
• 1 washcloth
• Gloves
• Tray

Step-by-Step Procedure

Below are the criteria checklist checkpoints for Denture Care on the Florida CNA clinical skills exam, the same checkpoints the evaluators score. Checkpoints marked (IC) are the universal indirect care checkpoints, which are scored on every skill.

1. Greet resident, address by name and introduce self? (IC)
2. Provide explanations to resident about care before beginning and during care? (IC)
3. Wear gloves when handling denture, providing mouth care, and rinsing equipment?
4. Protect denture from damage while cleaning by lining sink, filling sink with water, or holding denture directly over basin?
5. Protect denture from contamination (e.g., use a barrier when setting denture on surfaces, avoid placing or rinsing denture in sink water)?
6. Use cool or tepid running water to clean and rinse denture?
7. Brush all surfaces of the denture using a toothbrush or denture brush with toothpaste?
8. Rinse denture to remove toothpaste?
9. Handle clean denture maintaining cleanliness after brushed, placing denture in denture cup filled with clean cool or tepid water?
10. Leave denture cup on resident's bedside cabinet or overbed table unless following resident's preference about where denture cup should be stored?
11. Protect resident's clothing before providing mouth care and remove protective cover when care is completed?
12. Provide mouth care cleaning upper and lower gums, using moistened foam-tipped applicator or toothbrush with toothpaste?
13. Offer resident cup of water to rinse mouth after mouth care?
14. Provide emesis basin or disposable cup to resident to use for spitting as needed?
15. Leave area around resident's mouth clean and dry when care is completed?
16. Complete skill having rinsed, dried and stored basin (if used), emptying sink of water and removing barrier from sink (if used), placing soiled linens in hamper, disposing of trash, and leaving overbed table dry?
17. Ask resident about preferences during care? (IC)
18. Use Standard Precautions and infection control measures when providing care? (IC)
19. Ask resident about comfort or needs during care or before care completed? (IC)
20. Promote resident's rights during care? (IC)
21. Promote resident's safety during care? (IC)

Common Mistakes on the Prometric Test

Based on our experience preparing thousands of students for Florida's CNA state exam, here are the most common mistakes candidates make on this skill:

• Using hot water: Hot water warps dentures. Always use cool or lukewarm water for rinsing.
• Not lining the sink or basin: Dropping dentures on a hard surface can break them. A washcloth or paper towel lining provides cushioning.
• Using denture cleanser instead of toothpaste: The checklist calls for brushing all surfaces of the denture with a toothbrush or denture brush and toothpaste, then rinsing the toothpaste off.

Test Day Tips for Denture Care

• Handle dentures carefully and deliberately: rushing increases the risk of dropping them.
• Remember the denture starts out in the denture cup: there is no in-mouth removal or reinsertion on the test. Clean it, return it to the cup, then provide gum care with a moistened toothette or toothbrush and toothpaste, offering water to rinse and an emesis basin for spitting.
• Remember: cool water only, lined basin, denture cup always.
• In a real facility the denture cup and brush are the resident's personal property and stay in the resident's unit. On the exam the items are provided at the test site; treat them with the same clean-versus-dirty care.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't you use hot water to clean dentures?

Hot water can warp the acrylic material that dentures are made from, causing them to no longer fit properly. Always use cool or lukewarm water when rinsing or soaking dentures.

Master This Skill with Video Demonstrations

Reading the steps is a great start, but watching the skill performed correctly makes a huge difference on test day. Our online CNA course includes:

• HD video demonstration of Denture Care performed exactly as Prometric expects
• Detailed narration explaining each checkpoint the evaluator looks for
• Practice scenarios and tips from experienced CNA instructors
• All 22 clinical skills plus written exam preparation

Start with a free course preview. See the quality of our video instruction before you commit.

All 22 CNA Clinical Skills

See the full CNA clinical skills guide, or jump to any skill: Handwashing · Mouth Care (Brushing Teeth) · Hand and Nail Care · Feeding a Resident · Taking a Pulse · Measuring Respirations · Changing an Occupied Bed · Dressing with One-Sided Weakness · Female Catheter Care · Bedpan Assistance · Emptying Urinary Drainage Bag · Female Perineal Care · Range of Motion (Lower Body) · Range of Motion (Elbow and Wrist) · Range of Motion (Shoulder) · Partial Bed Bath · Change of Position · Wheelchair Transfer · Foot Care · Ambulation with Gait Belt · Indirect Care.