Quality of removable partial dentures worn by the adult U.S. population☆,☆☆,★,★★,♢
Section snippets
Material and methods
NHANES III8 was designed to provide estimates of the health and nutritional status of the U.S. noninstitutionalized civilian population aged 2 months and older. A complex, multistage plan was used to sample the population through interviews, and detailed physical examinations were performed in mobile examination centers. Information was collected from 33,994 people; 17,884 patients over the age of 17 had oral examinations. Patients who wore removable prostheses were classified into groups on
Results
The distribution of all removable prostheses in the NHANES III population as a function of patient age is shown in Table II.Empty Cell Empty Cell Only RPDs RPDs with complete dentures Complete dentures only Age (years) No RPD or denture Man Max Both Man RPD/Max CD Max RPD/Man CD Man Max Both 17-30 26.7 0.04 0.15 0.03 0.01 0 0 0.04 0.02 31-40 17.2 0.12 0.49 0.10 0.07 0 0 0.33 0.19 41-50 11.0 0.22 0.60 0.26 0.18 0.1 0.02 0.63 0.52 51-60 6.5 0.25 0.71 0.45 0.51 0 0.03 0.86 1.13 61-70 7.2 0.34
Discussion
This study did not attempt to link defective RPDs to further tooth loss or to provide longitudinal data on individual patients. The idea that tooth loss continues as a person ages12, 13, 14 may explain the decrease in RPDs and increase in complete denture use in the older cohorts of this study. It also is possible that the high prevalence of problems present in RPDs may have contributed to the increased use of complete dentures in older cohorts. This assumption is based on the knowledge that
Conclusions
The decline in the number of completely edentulous patients has led some to believe that there is a reduced need for removable prosthodontics in dentistry. This study demonstrated that RPD problems are significant and will continue to impact dentistry in the future. A decrease in the curriculum time allocated to removable prosthodontics therefore may be inappropriate. This study also showed that there is a great need to improve RPDs. At least one quarter of a million people under the age of 40
Supplementary Files
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Cited by (62)
Fully digital workflow for duplicating clasp-retained removable partial dentures using three-dimensional printing: A clinical report
2023, Journal of Prosthetic DentistryGuidelines for the choice of circumferential wrought wire and cast clasp arms for removable partial dentures
2022, International Dental JournalCitation Excerpt :Globally, a variety of surveys have assessed need and usage of RPDs. A survey in the United States in 2002 found an increasing percentage of RPD wearing with age up to the >70 years cohort where there was a decrease, which was related to an increase in complete dentures.4 The authors estimated that at least 250,000 people younger than age 40 had RPDs.
Evaluation of the design-driven prediction of removable partial denture retention
2020, Journal of Prosthetic DentistryCitation Excerpt :The hypothesis of this study was confirmed by showing that patient satisfaction with RPDs can be predicted by the retention estimated from their design. As the biomechanical problems associated with RPDs could be mitigated by improving their design,1,6,21 a new engineering model for predicting and optimizing the retention of RPDs was established.12 The authors are unaware of a previous clinical study that evaluated and validated a model for predicting RPD retention that may improve RPD design and enhance the quality of life for millions of patients worldwide.1,8,9
Important oral care needs of older French people: A cross-sectional study
2020, Revue d'Epidemiologie et de Sante PubliqueCitation Excerpt :The following variables were also considered: tooth loss (not including those replaced by a fixed prosthetic [bridge or implant]) replaced (or not) by a removable dental prosthesis, nature, year of conception and adaptation of the prosthesis, observed oral care needs, perceived oral care needs, regularly seeing a dentist, date and reason for the last visit to the dentist, barriers to seeing a dentist and oral hygiene habits. Lack of adaptation of the prosthesis was defined as the presence of one or more of the following: reline/tissue conditioner, excessive wear of the posterior teeth, lack of integrity and stability or retention problems [30]. Clinical oral indices were derived from assessments by a clinical oral examination conducted at the participant's place of living by two dentists according to the WHO recommendations for oral health epidemiological surveys [22].
Internal porosities, retentive force, and survival of cobalt–chromium alloy clasps fabricated by selective laser-sintering
2020, Journal of Prosthodontic ResearchCitation Excerpt :Despite considerable progress in dental prophylaxis and modern operative, restorative, prosthetic, and implant dentistry, the removable partial denture (RPD) continues to be a reliable treatment option for a large percentage of patients. Due to increasing average life expectancy and decreasing tooth loss, requirements will tend to change from removable full dentures to RPDs, and demand is expected to increase in the future [2–4]. Being cost-effective, highly versatile [4], and commonly satisfactory to the patient regarding the overall treatment outcome [5], the RPD must be considered better than its general reputation.
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Reprint requests to: Dr Susan K Hummel, Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M University System Health Science Center, 3302 Gaston Ave, Dallas, Tx 75246, Fax: (214)874-4544, E-mail: [email protected]
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aAssociate Professor, Department of Restorative Sciences, Baylor College of Dentistry.
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bConsultant, Department of Restorative Dentistry, Turner Dental School, University of Manchester.
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cConsultant, Denver, Colo.
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dAssociate Professor, Department of Health Policy, Goldman School of Dental Medicine.