[Special considerations relating to class 1 and class 2 removable partial dentures in the mandible]

During the rehabilitation of partially edentulous patients, dentists must try to preserve the health of the remaining oral structures. That is why it is essential to make maximum use of the support areas. With removable class 1 and 2 prostheses (Kennedy-Applegate classification), the remaining teeth and the edentulous areas provide support. While virtually no movement from the teeth is noticeable, the tissues covering the edentulous ridges do move in a variable manner. A unit must therefore be designed and built to protect the remaining teeth as well as the residual ridges. The problem is all the more acute for the mandible, since the compressibility of the tissues of the edentulous ridges and remodeling of the bone are greater. Many approaches and techniques have been described in the dental literature: functional impressions, use of appropriate direct retainers, and relining of units, if necessary.