Aesthetics in Removable Partial Dentures: Modification of the Proximal Plate and Retentive Lamellae in Kennedy Class II Scenarios

Abstract

The removable partial denture, despite new technologies and new materials, continues to play a significant role in clinical dental practice. The purpose of the following study was to evaluate the design of new retention devices in Kennedy class II scenarios. For the study of “lamellar” retentive devices, four prosthetists were chosen. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, prosthetists selected 16 patients (8 women and 8 men) whose upper arches had to be rehabilitated using a removable partial prosthesis. The results showed that the parameters taken into consideration, such as satisfaction, stability, aesthetics, and retention, had an average score that was higher than 3.30 (range 1–4), with an average standard deviation of 0.6225 in the four parameters, indicative that the data were relatively homogeneous and coherent. In conclusion, we can state that the skeletonized prosthesis with lamellar retentions, designed for Kennedy class II scenarios, has shown high acceptance in selected patients.

Keywords

• removable prosthesis
• prosthesis modification
• aesthetics
• retention