A survey of treatment outcomes with removable partial dentures

The patient's satisfaction with removable partial denture (RPD) therapy has become an increasingly important factor in prosthetic treatment. This study examined patients' satisfaction with RPDs in relation to some socio-economic variables, patients' habits of wearing and cleaning RPDs, comfort of wearing RPDs and different RPDs characteristics. A questionnaire was devised for the purpose. Two hundred and five patients were required to assess satisfaction with RPDs. They graded RPDs, depending on the level of satisfaction, on scale ranging from 1 to 5. A dentist determined Kennedy classification, material and denture support, denture base shape, number of missing teeth and evaluated denture construction. Majority of the patients were satisfied with the prosthesis. The patients of a higher education level gave lower grades (P < 0.05) to aesthetics of maxillary RPDs. Almost half of the patients were wearing RPDs during the day. Most of the patients cleaned RPDs three times a day. A significant difference was found between the patients' grades for comfort of wearing mandibular RPDs and number of missing teeth and between hygiene of mandibular RPDs and habits of cleaning them. Majority of the patients treated with RPDs were satisfied with the prosthesis. Dissatisfaction was related to mastication, esthetics, number of missing teeth and maintenance of oral hygiene.     

Interim complete immediate dentures for a patient wearing removable partial dentures.

This article describes a technique used for fabricating temporary (interim) complete dentures for a patient who had been wearing removable partial dentures and whose remaining teeth were to be extracted. Rather than attempt to incorporate the existing removable partial dentures into the interim complete dentures, the dentist used the existing dentures to fabricate acrylic resin teeth for the interim prosthesis.     

Treatment with removable partial dentures: a longitudinal study. Part I

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral rehabilitation by removable partial denture (RPD). Between 1983 and 1994, 629 patients were provided with an RPD at the Dental School of the Université catholique de Louvain. All the RPDs were constructed with a cobalt-chromium framework. All the treatments were provided by dental students under the supervision of clinical instructors. At recall time (1998-2000), 269 patients could not be reached neither by telephone nor by mail and 27 had died. Consequently, 333 patients were called for clinical examination and 254 of these (76.3%) actually attended. For a total of 292 RPDs fitted for these 254 patients, 218 (74.7%) were still being worn at the time of the check-up. Seventy-four dentures were considered to be 'failures', either because they were replaced by another RPD or by a complete denture, or because they had actually never been worn. The statistical analysis (Mantel-Haenszel and Kaplan-Meier) shows that the number of failures is significantly higher at the lower jaw compared with the upper jaw. Most of the failures are attributable to RPDs with free-end saddles and, in particular, to class I mandibular dentures. The patients are wearing their denture(s) mostly continuously (63.6%) and award a high degree of satisfaction to their denture. In general, the results recorded may be considered as very satisfactory, all the more so as we have no regular recall procedures established at our school and as check-up asked for spontaneously by the patients in the course of the period of observation are most of the time occasional or non-existent.     

Treatment with removable partial dentures: a longitudinal study. Part II

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an oral rehabilitation by removable partial denture (RPD). Between 1983 and 1994, 629 patients were provided with an RPD at the Dental School of the Université catholique de Louvain. All the RPDs were constructed with a cobalt-chromium framework. All the treatments were provided by dental students under the supervision of clinical instructors. At recall time (1998-2000), 269 patients could not be reached neither by telephone nor by mail and 27 had died. Consequently, 333 patients were called for clinical examination and 254 of these (76.3%) actually attended. For a total of 292 RPDs checked 1893 persistent teeth were listed, with 804 serving as abutments; more than half (57.6%) of these were crowned, for which 51 debondings were recorded. For the period of observation we listed 79 abutments lost (37 at the upper jaw and 42 at the lower jaw), i.e. 9.8% of the total number of abutments. No relation could be established between the type of the abutments (natural or crowned teeth) and the losses observed (Test of Mantel-Haenszel: P=0.9496). In the upper jaw, the percentage of abutments lost was significantly higher in the presence of free-end edentulous areas as compared with bounded edentulous areas (Test of Mantel-Haenszel: P=0.0002); this difference does not appear for the lower jaws (P=0.9558). If we deduct the 25 abutments related with the 11 non-worn RPDs and the 79 abutments lost, no change becomes apparent for 92.2% of the maxillary abutments and for 85.8% of the mandibular abutments. For the 1089 other teeth, we observed the loss of 40 teeth and the appearance of caries or new fillings for 95 teeth. The fractures of cast clasps represent 3.4%.     

Overlay removable partial dentures for a patient with ectodermal dysplasia: A clinical report

The orofacial characteristics of ectodermal dysplasia include anodontia or hypodontia, hypoplastic conical teeth, underdevelopment of the alveolar ridges, frontal bossing, a depressed nasal bridge, protuberant lips, and hypotrichosis. Patients with this disease often need complex prosthetic treatment. The options for a definitive treatment plan may include fixed, removable, or implant-supported prostheses, singly or in combination. However, financial constraints and other priorities can prevent patients from choosing the most desirable treatment. This clinical report describes the diagnosis and treatment of ectodermal dysplasia in an 18-year-old man. The treatment included interim removable partial dentures fabricated to establish an acceptable therapeutic occlusal vertical dimension, followed by definitive overlay removable partial dentures and composite restorations.     

Comparisons of tactile thresholds between implant-supported fixed partial dentures and removable partial dentures.

This study compared the tactile sensitivity of splinted abutment and denture teeth of 16 fixed partial dentures (FPD) supported by blade implants and 16 removable partial dentures (RPD) in patients with Kennedy Class I and Class II edentulous conditions. No significant differences were noted between the tactile thresholds of the natural abutment teeth and artificial teeth in the FPD and RPD groups. The splinted abutment teeth required 45.4 g, or 5.4 to 5.8 times higher occlusal loads than did those needed for the comparable nonsplinted teeth, to detect the stimulus. A further increase of 54% in thresholds with the FPD and over 100% with the placement of the RPD indicated the superiority of the RPD in terms of load distribution as a result of the cross-arch splinting and mucosal support. Moderate positive correlations (r = 0.37 to 0.46; P < .05) between tactile thresholds and masticatory performance were found, signifying that reduced tactile perception was not responsible for the incomplete restoration of the masticatory function with RPDs or FPDs but might be contributing to increased masticatory performance within both treatment groups.     

Functional forces with removable partial dentures

An overall view of the stresses resulting from the use of removable partial dentures has been presented. A breakdown in the various movements and a diagnostic critique was offered to the practitioner so that he or she can select the desired retainer systems for use in various clinical situations.     

Treatment of open occlusions with onlay and overlay removable partial dentures

The onlay removable partial denture has the primary purposes of restoration of esthetics and function through a conservative modification of the existing dentition. It is particularly applicable to open occlusion situations and in improving an uneven mandibular occlusal plane. Its use should be supplemented with specific instructions in proper cleansing and maintenance of underlying dentition and the prosthesis and with scheduled recall appointments.     

Esthetic considerations with removable partial dentures

The reduction in partial edentulism that has occurred due to successful preventive procedures and the predictable use of osseointegrated implants has reduced the need for removable partial dentures. However, for a variety of reasons, many patients can continue to benefit from partial denture therapy; and these patients deserve the best esthetic result possible. The primary esthetic objection to removable partial denture therapy is the unsightly display of the clasp assemblies. This article describes three strategies that can be used by the discriminating clinician to eliminate the display of the clasp assembly and provide an esthetic and functional removable prosthesis.     

Implants in conjunction with removable partial dentures: a literature review

Although the benefits of implant-borne removable prostheses are readily apparent for the fully edentulous patient and have been well documented, there is a paucity of studies concerning the combination of implants with removable partial dentures in partially edentulous patients. The aim of this article is to review the literature regarding implants with removable partial dentures and evaluate the evidence for this clinical approach. A MEDLINE/PubMed search from 1990 to 2006, focusing on the use of implants with removable partial dentures and related features, was supplemented with a hand search to identify relevant peer-reviewed English articles published in dental journals and textbooks on removable partial dentures.