A clinical overview of removable prostheses: introduction

This series of articles has been written with the intention of simplifying the processes involved in the prescription of removable partial dentures. The scene is set in this introduction, and the first article addresses basic clinical and patient-related factors involved in decision-making before commencing active prosthodontic treatment. The second paper will outline a variety of impression techniques for primary and definitive impressions, while the third discusses designing principles. The fourth article is a brief overview of some technological aspects of removable partial denture-making and the fifth attempts to provide a useful guide showing how to diagnose and manage common clinical problems associated with removable partial dentures.