Stress bearing area ‫عائشة محمد فالح‬

Or Denture foundation area: Surfaces of oral structures that resist forces, strains, or pressures brought
on them during function.

Maxilla
Primary stress-bearing areas of :

1- Hard palate is a thin horizontal bony plate made up of two bones of the facial skeleton, located in the roof of the
mouth. The bones are the palatine process of the maxilla and the horizontal plate of palatine bone. Because it consists
of the two horizontal palatine processes and appears to resist resorption. For this reason it is a primary support
area for the maxillary denture.  The trabecular pattern in the bone is perpendicular to the direction of force,
making it capable of withstanding any amount of force without marked resorption

2- Lateral slopes of residual alveolar ridge : the portion of the alveolar ridge and its soft tissue covering
which remains following the removal of teeth. It resorbs rapidly following extraction and continue throughout life in a
reduced rate.

Secondary stress-bearing areas:

1-Rugae : These are mucosal folds located in the anterior region of the palatal mucosa. In the area of rugae, the palate
is set at an angle to the residual alveolar ridge and is thinly covered by soft tissue which contributes to the secondary
stress bearing area.
2- Maxillary tuberosity :It is a bulbous extension of the residual ridge in the second and third molar region .The
posterior part of the ridge and the tuberosity areas are considered as one of the most important areas of support
because they are least likely to resorb.

Mandible
Stress bearing area
1- Buccal shelf area is a prime support area because it is parallel to the occlusal plane and the bone is
very dense. These two factors make it relatively resistant to resorption. The greater the access to the
buccal shelf area the more support there is available for denture.

2- Residual alveolar ridge

Reference:

Phoenix Book 2004