A patient's age, location of edentulous area, and number of occlusal rests are among the factors that can affect ongoing use of removable partial dentures (RPDs), according to new retrospective study (Journal of Prosthodontic Research, January 2010).
The study included 67 patients treated with 90 RPDs delivered at the Tohoku University Hospital in Sendai, Japan, between 1996 and 2001. The patients were re-examined five years after delivery, and data was collected from clinical records as well as a questionnaire.
The authors considered 12 factors that might affect the continuing use of RPDs and 15 factors regarding satisfaction. Statistically significant associations were found between continuing use and the patient's age, location of the edentulous area, number of occluding pairs of teeth, number of occlusal rests, pain while using RPDs, color of the artificial teeth, and tooth shape and setup.
"These findings suggest that the continuing use of RPDs is related to factors such as the patient's age, location of edentulous area, number of occluding pairs of teeth, and number of occlusal rests, satisfaction including pain while using RPDs, color of the artificial teeth, and tooth shape and setup," the authors concluded.
Copyright © 2010 DrBicuspid.com
