Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of mandibular free-end partial edentulism and the wearing of removable partial dentures in the partially edentulous area on the force exerted on maxillary anterior teeth.
Methods: A commercially available jaw model with exchangeable teeth was used. Seven experimental conditions of mandibular free-end edentulism were set up and a distal extension removable partial denture to replace missing posterior teeth was fabricated. Strain gauges were attached to the root surface of the maxillary left central incisor, canine, first premolar and first molar, and the force exerted on them was calculated based on the calibration coefficient. An occlusal load of 49 N was applied and the forces were compared with the Kruskal-Wallis test (P < 0.05).
Results: The force exerted on the maxillary anterior teeth increased significantly as the number of remaining teeth decreased. The force exerted on the maxillary anterior teeth decreased significantly with use of a removable partial denture.
Conclusions: When the number of remaining teeth decreases in mandibular free-end partial edentulism, the burden on the maxillary anterior teeth increases. Our findings suggest that for patients with mandibular free-end partial edentulism, wearing a removable partial denture is effective in preserving the remaining teeth by reducing excessive stress.
Keywords: Free-end edentulism; Remaining teeth; Removable partial denture; Shortened dental arch; Strain; Stress.
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