A 30-Year Follow-Up of Partial Removable Dental Prostheses in a University Dental School Setting

To describe the pattern of partial removable dental prosthesis (PRDP) designs over a 30-year period in a cohort of patients from the Université de Montréal, Faculty of Dentistry and to examine the effect of this design in PRDP complaints and the required treatment in a subsample of the patients' cohort.

In this retrospective descriptive study, 1380 PRDP laboratory prescriptions (1980-2009) and 131 PRDP clinical complaint forms (2006-2008) from the archives of the undergraduate prosthodontics clinic of Université de Montréal were selected. Data on type of PRDPs, design, PRDP-related complaints, and the need for treatment were collected. Descriptive statistics and bivariate statistical analyses were conducted.

U-shaped (54%) and lingual plate (94%) were the most common major connectors used in the maxillary and mandibular arch, respectively. In 95% of laboratory prescriptions, circumferential clasp was the design for the retainers. Fracture of PRDP components was the most common (41%) complaint. Most of the complaints (68%) were made by PRDP wearers having natural teeth in the opposing arch. There was a significant relationship between fracture of PRDP components and having opposing natural teeth (p = 0.002). Seventy-three percent of PRDP-related complaints were manageable only by minor treatments such as repair, readjustments, and oral hygiene instructions.

Changes in the design of PRDPs were noticeable at the Université de Montréal since 1980, but there has been little change in the last 20 years. Biomechanical concepts and optimum hygiene were the basic elements in the design of RDPs in this university-based dental school setting. The majority of the complaints were treated by minor treatments.