[Caries in supporting teeth with and without crowns]

On the basis of 1718 teeth in 212 patients fitted with removable partial dentures, it was established that the frequency of caries in uncontrolled noncrowned abutment teeth for partial dentures was twice as high and the number of extractions three times as high as in the control group. The special risk for abutment teeth was effectively reduced by using artificial crowns. The concept of crowning abutment teeth is discussed.