Partial denture design
Partial denture design starts with partial denture classification. A great resource for partial dental design is FFOFR. A great textbook is the Atlas of Removable Partial Denture Design. It will give ideal designs for different scenarios. For patient information on partial dentures check the link.
Dual path rpd or rotational path removable partial denture
A dual path rpd is a partial denture that rotates into an undercut. It does not have guide planes in the edentulous site. It avoids the use of clasps in the anterior area, thus why patients prefer it. Not many labs or dentists are familiar with this. We have struggled to find someone that knows about them and thus struggled to make them. Dr. Roger Solow has an article with BCI dental lab showing a case. The retention is created by rotating the framework into a proximal undercut, thus eliminating the need for a clasp. Thus it should be great for patients with Kennedy Class 1 and only teeth 6-11, as seen in Dr. Gullard Compendium article 2023.
Dental lab recommendations for partial dentures
Partial lab Arian Deutsch
Some AACD local doc recommended Satisfaction Dental Lab in Elgin
Metal work check DT thread – Jerimiah Nass at Inverness Dental Arts
Darwin recommends John at Zedan dental lab for precision partials.
Partial denture Kennedy Classification
Kennedy Class I
- 2 RPI – Mesial rest, distal guide plane, and mid-buccal I-bar. Long guide planes
- 2 indirect
Kennedy Class II
- RPI and 1 indirect same as above
Kennedy Class III
- Same as class I just add distal reaching Akers on posterior teeth
Kennedy Class IV
- 2 RPI – Distal rest, mesial guide plane, and mid-buccal I-bar
- 2 distal reaching akers
Removable partial denture research
Vertical and horizontal bone loss is increased under a removable partial denture in comparison to dentate or edentulous patients. Ozan ACP
I can see this with a Kennedy class I removable partial denture patient, especially as the RPD becomes less stable.
Vermeulen JPD 96 Taking replacement or not wearing the RPD as failure criteria, the survival rate was 75% after 5 years and 50% after 10 years (half-life time). Free end saddle worse tooth borne