[Plaque reduction in patients with removable partial dentures and abutment teeth with greatly reduced periodontium]

The presented investigation was carried out on 19 individuals who were referred for prothetic and periodontal treatment. All patients suffered from advanced periodontal disease and had no more than 3 teeth left in the jaw going to be treated. Following a baseline examination comprising assessment of oral hygiene and tooth mobility the patients were subjected to prothetic and periodontal treatment. Removable partial dentures were constructed using the conical crown system. The patients were distributed into 2 different maintenance groups. 10 patients (group 1) were instructed to use the Bass Technique for cleaning the remaining abutment teeth. Group 2 applied proximal brushes for cleaning the interdental spaces prior to removing the partial dentures for cleaning as prescribed for group 1. Three months after treatment a reexamination was performed. In both groups a significant reduction of plaque was observed. The plaque scores of the second group were below those of the first group but the difference was statistically not significant.