[Studies on the retentive force of clasps. 1. An effect of the material and technician]

Wire clasps and cast clasps are the most common retainers for removable partial dentures. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in the material and the variation among individual technicians in the retentive force of both clasps. The clasps were made in accord with the clinical method for experimental metallic model of the left mandibular second premolar and the retentive force of each clasp was measured by a pull-out test. The results were as follows: 1. Both types of clasp showed a large variation in the retentive force among the technicians, but no particular tendency was observed in the differences between wire and cast clasps. 2. There was no significant difference between the two types of clasp in the retentive force. 3. Due to the differences in individual technical skills, it seems to be difficult to make wire clasps with a standardized retentive force.