Five-year survey of treatment with removable partial dentures. Part I

A survey involving 137 patients treated with 203 removable partial dentures was conducted in England, the Netherlands, and the United States from samples of 1-year and 5-year posttreatment data. The objectives were to (1) develop a practical clinical and radiologic method to evaluate the results of removable partial denture treatment and (2) establish baseline values and results of removable partial denture treatment for use by all investigators. The results indicated the following: 1. Gingival pocket depth around abutment teeth was reduced at posttreatment examination. 2. There was an increase in posttreatment abutment teeth mobility that was greater in mandibular than maxillary teeth. Mobility increase was less for abutment teeth than for control teeth. 3. There was a slight loss of bone around abutment teeth that was about equal to loss around control teeth. 4. Oral care (plaque index) showed that 62.4% of all tooth surfaces had plaque accumulation at posttreatment examination. 5. Eleven of 616 abutment teeth (1.78%) were extracted.