How long should a shortened dental arch be?
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Updated: Jun 29, 2026
Measuring the Complete-arch Distortion of an Optical Dental Impression
Published on: May 30, 2019
1Department of Restorative Dentistry, University Dental School & Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland.
Unlabelled:
Increasing numbers of older adults are retaining teeth into old age. Many of these patients refuse to wear removable partial dentures, and have a high prevalence of dental disease and heavily restored teeth. The shortened dental arch (SDA) concept is a potentially cost-effective way of managing older, partially dentate adults. However, case selection is critical and long term preservation of a functional dentition may not be possible in certain patients. This paper highlights the critical treatment planning issues and outlines treatment strategies aimed at avoiding occlusal instability in patients with shortened dental arches.
Clinical Relevance:
Appropriate application of the shortened dental arch concept will provide satisfactory oral function in the long term for partially dentate adults.
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