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Types of removable
partial dentures
Presented by- niharika sabharwal (2nd yr pg)
Guided by- dr smriti kapur (reader)
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Contents
1. What are the types?
2. Cast partial dentures
3. Interim RPDs
4. Swing lock RPD
5. Unilateral RPD
6. Cu- Sil partial denture
7. Flexible partial denture
8. Implant supported RPD
9. Fixed-removable partial denture
10. Review of literature
11. Summary
Classifications 3
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Cast Partial Dentures

Indications and contraindication
5

INDICATIONS:
 When there are no posterior terminal abutment teeth present, so that a
distal – extension base is required to support the prosthesis.
 When the edentulous spaces are too extensive or too curved to be
successfully restored with an FPD.
 When there is a need to provide replacement for missing hard and soft
tissues with an acrylic resin denture base in order to restore normal
tissue contours and lip support.
 When the cross - arch splinting provided by an RPD will be helpful in
supporting and preserving periodontally weakened teeth.
 When potential abutment teeth have not fully erupted, so that
treatment with an FPD is not feasible. This situation is not uncommon
among young patients.
 When only periodontally weakened anterior teeth remain to provide
anchorage for a prosthesis.
 When it is anticipated that additional teeth will be lost sometime after
the fabrication of the prosthesis.
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Advantages
 Can replace lost supporting tissues in addition to missing
teeth.
 Can use soft tissue areas of the mouth for support in addition
to using the teeth
 May help the patient maintain a more acceptable level of oral
hygiene
 May be designed to splint and stabilize weakened abutment
teeth
 May be designed to distribute the forces of mastication
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Acrylic removable partial dentures

 An all - acrylic removable partial denture is used for a

defined, limited period of time and referred to as an interim
prosthesis.

INTERIM RPD TRANSITIONAL RPD

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Transitional RPD
 The transitional removable partial denture provides the
patient with a functional prosthesis as therapy continues, in
transition as the patient loses remaining dentition, yet prior to
a definitive prosthesis,
 The immediate transitional RPD is used when there is a
need to provide the patient with a functional prosthesis at the
time of tooth extraction.
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Interim RPD
 The designation of interim versus transitional refers to the
clinical scenario where the interim prosthesis will eventually
be replaced by a definitive prosthesis, such as one used
after an immediate extraction in which a patient requires
stabilization and function during the healing phase of therapy.
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Swing Lock RPD

 The swing-lock RPD was introduced to the dental profession
by Simmons in 1963.
 It consists of labial/buccal retaining bar hinged at one end
and locked with a latch at the other, together reciprocating
lingual plate to gain maximum retention and stability.
Indications and contraindications
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INDICATIONS:
1. Inadequate bone support
2. Inadequate retention
3. Missing key abutments
4. Economics
5. Mobility.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:
6. A swing-lock RPD should not be used for patients who have poor oral
hygiene
7. Inadequate manual dexterity
8. Deep vertical overbite with minimal horizontal overjet that does not
permit a lingual plate for a maxillary prosthesis
9. Short lip or little vestibular depth which may allow the labial bar and
struts to be visible
10. High frenal attachment, which will interfere with the labial bar
11. Prominent labial alveolar ridge with no labial undercut, which will not
provide room for bar placement and will interfere with appearance and
lip function.
Unilateral RPD
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 Also called NESBIT PARTIAL DENTURES.

DESIGN AND MATERIAL OPTIONS:

The three main base material options are:
• Acrylic
• Cobalt-Chrome (Co-Cr)
• Nylon-based (flexible).
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ACRYLIC CO-CR NYLON

• Gain their support • Tooth-borne and may • Mucosa-borne.

from the mucosa be single-part or • Retention via clasps
• Gain additional sectional. which are an
tooth support by • Locking extension of the
incorporating pre- components, such denture base
formed (stainless as bolts. material
steel) occlusal rests • Clasps: may be cast
and stainless steel in Co-Cr as part of
clasps the metal
substructure or
added later if other
materials are used
such as gold,
stainless steel or
polyoxymethylene.
• Precision
attachments are an
alternative to clasps.

Acrylic Unilateral RPD
ADVANTAGES
 Economic, quickly
fabricated and little
technical ability required in
design or construction
 Ease of insertion and
removal
 May be easily added to in
the case of additional tooth
loss
 No preparation of adjacent
teeth required
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DISADVANTAGES
 Limited retention and stability
 Increased risk of
inhalation/swallowing
 May act as a gum stripper
and accelerate alveolar bone
resorption
 Requires greater mucosal
coverage to gain retention
 Mechanically weak and more
prone to fracture
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Co-Cr Unilateral RPD

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

 Tooth-borne and therefore  Often requires preparation of

less detrimental to soft abutment teeth (more
tissues invasive)
 Rigid and strong; can be  Abutment teeth need to be
made more hygienic and sound – healthy
less bulky periodontium, ideally vital.
 Greater retention and  More expensive than non-
stability from direct metal options
retainers eg clasps or  Clasps may interfere in the
precision attachments aesthetic zone and cause
 Radio-opaque direct trauma to soft tissues

Co-Cr with Precision Attachments
ADVANTAGES
 Greater aesthetics as
clasps are not required
 Improved retention, support
and stability
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DISADVANTAGES
 Higher cost
 Often require crowns or copings to
house the attachments
 Magnets are less retentive and
less stable
 Specific space requirements for
attachments
 High clinical and technical skill
required to design and fabricate
 Certain attachments require
regular maintenance.
 Requires the patient to have good
manual dexterity
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Indications and contraindications

INDICATIONS:
 when abutments are unsuitable or the span is too long for a bridge,
implant-retained restorations are not an option and a
conventional RPD is not acceptable for the patient.
 The patient’s concern must be primarily aesthetic
 Unilateral RPDs should be limited to areas where occlusal
forces are lesser.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:
 Flatter alveolar ridges and more compressible mucosa
 History of psychiatric conditions
 Repeated loss of consciousness
 Alcohol and drug intoxication
 Accidental ingestion or inhalation of foreign bodies is more
common in the very young or the elderly
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Advantages and disadvantages

ADVANTAGES:
 Avoidance of palatal coverage and the need for a major
connector  Lesser impact on speech, gag reflex and
generally more tolerable.
 Lower biological cost – fewer surfaces for plaque
accumulation, candida colonisation and fewer natural
teeth recruited as abutments.
 Decreased bulk
 Does not feel like a conventional denture. Potential for less
stigma and improved self-confidence.
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DISADVANTAGES:
 they may transmit damaging lateral forces to abutment
teeth and oral tissues if placed in occlusal function during
excursive movements.

 This is due to the lack of cross-arch stabilisation, which

may also lead to easy displacement.
 Restricted to bounded saddles
 Complex designs require more maintenance
 Require good manual dexterity to take in and out of the
mouth
 May require preparation of adjacent teeth to provide
guide planes, rest seats and undercuts in order to ensure
good retention and stability
 Risk of inhalation and swallowing
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Cu-Sil Partial Dentures

 Cu-Sil is a tissue-bearing appliance featuring a soft
elastomeric gasket.
 It clasps the neck of each natural tooth, sealing out food and
fluids, cushioning, and splinting each natural tooth from the
hard denture base.

Also known as Virginia partial

denture or Fenestrated denture

 Contraindication: They are not indicated for patients with

large number of teeth evenly distributed across the dental
arch.
Advantages and disadvantages
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ADVANTAGES:
 It helps to prevent tooth loss and improves the prognosis of
loose, mobile, isolated, elongated, or periodontally involved
abutments by eliminating wear, stress, and torque.
 Does not require any tooth preparation and extra patient
visit.
 No special armamentarium and material.
 If a tooth is lost in future, existing denture can be modified to
occupy its place.

DISADVANTAGES
 It needs frequent corrections.
 Entire gingival margin of remaining teeth is covered, leading
to plaque accumulation
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Flexible partial dentures

IT IS A METAL FREE REMOVABLE PARTIAL DENTURE CONSTRUCTED FROM
ISO 1567 THERMOPLASTIC RESINS THAT COULD BE EITHER
POLYCARBONATES (POLYESTERS) ACRYLIC RESINS OR POLYAMIDES
(NYLONS) POLYARYLETHERKETONES. (GPT 9)
 Indications and contraindications 23

INDICATIONS:
 Severe undercuts where pre-prosthetic surgery is not feasible.
 Patients allergic to acrylic or metal
 As a long term interim denture after placement of implant
 Aesthetic reasons
 For existing patient who is not comfortable with conventional acrylic
partial dentures.
 Pre-formed clasps for partial dentures
Prosthetic rehabilitation of patient with hereditary ectodermal
dysplasia.
 Periodontally compromised teeth and hypersensitive teeth.
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CONTRAINDICATIONS:
 Deep overbite or less than 4mm inter-arch space in the
posterior area.
 Patient that has bilateral free-end distal extensions with
knife edge ridges or lingual tori in the mandible.
 Patient with displaceable flabby tissue due to reduced
tissue support

Advantages and Disadvantages
 Nearly unbreakable
 Aesthetic
 Versatility in clasp designs
and positions
 Light weight
 More comfortable
 May act as a stress breaker
 May act as a tissue
conditioner
 Less time consuming
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 Low flexural modulus
 Easily scratched or
damaged
 Acrylic denture teeth are
mechanically retained to
nylon denture base
 Special armamentarium
required
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IMPLANT SUPPORTED RPD

 Distal implants effectively convert a Kennedy Class I or II denture

to a Kennedy Class III denture.
 COMPONENTS FOR IMPLANT SUPPORTED 27
PARTIAL OVERDENTURE

An attachment is defined as “a mechanical device for the fixation, retention, and stabilization
of a prosthesis, a retainer consisting of a metal receptacle and a closely fitting part; the
former (the female matrix component) is usually contained within the normal or expanded
contours of the crown of the abutment tooth and the latter (the male patrix component), is
attached to a pontic or the denture framework.”
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STUD ATTACHMENT
 Consisted of a female part which is frictionally retained over
the male stud

 Incorporated into the denture resin either by the means of a

transfer coping system and the creation of a master cast
incorporating a replica of the attachment or directly in the
mouth using self-cured or light-polymerized resin.

 Indication: V-shaped arches where the straight connection

between the implants can affect the tongue space.
Resilient
Stud
attachments Non-
resilient
type
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Types of stud attachments

1. O-RINGS ATTACHMENTS
 consists of a titanium male unit and an easily
replaceable rubber ring female unit that is retained
in a metal retainer ring.
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2. ERA ATTACHMENTS
 an extra-radicular attachment with two design systems.

B. An axial (or overdenture)

A. a partial denture attachment for
attachment, either for placement
placement on the proximal
inside the prepared roots or the
(mesial/distal) aspects of artificial
ERA implant abutment for the
crowns
overdenture prosthesis.

The abutments are available in two types:

• the straight one-piece abutment type
• the two pieces angulated abutment type
(5°, 11°, and 17 angles)

Four color codes, (white, orange and blue,

and gray) that provide different degrees of
retention from light to heavy.
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3. BALL ATTACHMENTS
The ball and socket attachments consist of a metal ball
(male portion) which is screwed into the fixture, where the
female part is incorporated in the fitting surface of the
denture. The female part may be one of the following types:

a. The O-ring in which the retentive

element is rubber ring.
b. A metal part as in dalbo system. This
permits less resilience; however, the
retentive forces are almost twice those
obtained with the O-ring system
c. A spherical metal anchor in which the
female part contains a spring. These
attachments have the advantage of
being resilient and easily activated.
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4. LOCATOR (SELF-ALIGNING) ATTACHMENT

An attachment system with self-aligning feature and has
dual retention (inner and outer).

Indications:
• Cases with limited interocclusal space or when retrofitting an existing old denture.
• Can accommodate divergent implants up to 20°.
 MAGNET ATTACHMENTS
 Two components:
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1. A cylindrical or dome-shaped magnet (neodymium-

iron-boron alloy or a cobalt-samarium alloy) attached to
the fitting surface of the acrylic resin base of the
overdenture.
2. The ferromagnetic magnetic keeper casted to a metal
coping cemented to root surface or screwed over the
implant fixture.

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

• Magnetic attachments are shorter • Attachment needs to be removed

compared to mechanical
attachments so can be used in cases
of reduced inter-arch space
• They can be used in moderately
nonparallel abutments since they do
not follow a particular path of
insertion
• Laboratory procedures associated
with castings are not necessary
• They are more resilient and allow for
free movement of the prosthesis
before taking magnetic resonance
imaging because it causes streaking
• When numbers of implants are
relatively few, retention is not as
good as when ball attachments are
used
• Least retention 
• Heating during sterilization leads to
decrease in retentive forces in long-
term use
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TELESCOPIC ATTACHMENTS
 Also known as a double crown, crown, and sleeve
coping.
 Consist of :
1. an inner or primary telescopic coping, permanently cemented to an
abutment, and
2. a congruent detachable outer or secondary telescopic crown, rigidly
connected to a detachable prosthesis

ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES

• Excellent immobilization of the • Require adequate inter-arch space

restoration to be used
• Flexibility of design
• Easy maintenance of oral hygiene
• Syncone system has virtually wear
resistant attachments
• Can also be used on angulated
abutments.
BAR ATTACHMENTS 35

 Consists of a metallic bar that splints two or more implants

or natural teeth spanning the edentulous ridge between them
and a sleeve (suprastructure) incorporated in the
overdenture which clips over the original bar to retain the
denture.
 ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
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• Good retention and stability • Vertical dislodgement, bar type

attachments show maximum stress
generation around implants
• Fabrication is technique sensitive
• Higher cost
• Maintenance of hygiene is difficult
which can lead to problems like
mucosal irritation
• Frequent loosening of retentive
clips.
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In a comparative radiographic study by CBCT, conducted by

Ahmed et al (2015), comparison and evaluation of the effect
of two different attachments (locator attachment and ball and
socket attachment) on implants and natural abutments
supporting structures in Kennedy class 1 partially edentulous
arch was carried out. Results showed that implants restored
by locator attachment showed better effects on bone of both
main natural abutments and implant than those restored with
ball and socket.

Ahmed et al. Implant Supported Distal Extension over Denture Retained by Two
Types of Attachments. A Comparative Radiographic Study by Cone Beam
Computed TomographyJ Int Oral Health. 2015 May; 7(5): 5–10.
ATTACHMENTS FOR RPDs
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The four categories of attachments include

 Intracoronal attachments,
 extracoronal attachments,
 overdenture attachments, and
 bar - type attachments

INTRACORONAL ATTACHMENTS

Intracoronal attachments are made with a key (patrix) and keyway (matrix)
mechanism, typically manufactured such that the keyway or matrix fits
within the contours of a crown and the key or patrix is a part of the
removable partial denture framework.

May include:
 Locking mechanism
 Frictional or spring retention
 Spring and plunger mechanism
EXTRACORONAL ATTACHMENTS 39

 Extracoronal attachments are equally as esthetic as

intracoronal attachments, but unlike intracoronal attachments,
they have the ability to provide more resilience as a stress
director.

OVERDENTURE ATTACHMENTS
 They are also referred to as stud - type attachments include
some of the lowest profile attachments in an occlusogingival
dimension, and provide a stress - directing effect.

BAR-TYPE ATTACHMENTS
 REMOVABLE PARTIAL 40

OVERDENTURES
 ONLAY PARTIAL DENTURES
INDICATIONS:
1. 1/3rd to ½ coronal tooth present
2. Remaining tooth tissue is healthy
with acceptable aesthetics.

 Tooth preparations for onlay

abutments includes removal of
any unsupported enamel and
beveling of sharp angles at the
occlusal junction or near minor
connectors.
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 OVERLAY DENTURES : Another subset of overdentures,

cover worn or damaged teeth with full labial veneer facing as
well as occlusal coverage.
INDICATIONS:
1. 1/3 to ½ of coronal tooth present
2. Aesthetics of the abutment teeth are poor
3. When a flange is not possible
4. When reducing the remaining tooth tissue for complete
coverage would lead to the need for endodontic treatment.
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Fixed-Removable Partial Dentures

 Dr. James Andrews of Amite, Louisiana, introduced the fixed
removable Andrews Bridge System (Institute of Cosmetic
Dentistry, Amite, La.).
Indications and contraindications 43

INDICATIONS
 Patients whose residual ridge have a relationship to the opposing
dentition that would prohibit the esthetic placement of the pontics of a
fixed partial denture.
 Patients who have extensive alveolar bone and tissue loss.
 Titled molars. Fixed partial denture’s in severely misaligned abutments.
 Use in over dentures (different forms of retainer are bare, telescopic,
use of auxiliary attachments).
 Fixed removable implant restorations.

CONTRAINDICATIONS:
 In sick and senile
 Periodontitis
 Gross periodontal disease
 High caries rate
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Advantages and disadvantages

ADVANTAGES: According to Prieskel,

 Reduced denture bulk, occupying minimal vertical and
horizontal space.
 Four different curvatures of the bar follow the ridge and
permit the use of the bar anteriorly.
 Various lengths replace one–four teeth.
 The denture provides good retention with little wear.
 It provides high tensile and yield strengths.
 It permits replacement of missing alveolar structure for
esthetic reasons.
 Special transfer sleeves for each bar are provided so that a
duplicate removable prosthesis can be made quickly.
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DISADVANTAGES:
 Failure as a result of inadequate soldering.
 It should not be used for patients having occupations, where
the restoration may become jarred loose and swallowed or
aspirated.
 Technique sensitive procedures.
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Summary
Choice of RPD depends on:
1. Case selection
2. Patient factors
3. Availability of armamentarium
References
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 Removable partial dentures- a clinician’s guide. Jones

 Dr Radhi R K, et. al. “Andrews Bridge System –A Review.” IOSR Journal
of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS), 20(08), 2021, pp. 38-40.
 Swami PR, Sanyal P, Sam SM. Classification of unconventional
removable partial denture. Int J Oral Care Res 2018;6(1):S77-83.
 Fueki K, Ohkubo C, Yatabe M, et al. Clinical application of removable
partial dentures using thermoplastic resin. Part II: Material properties and
clinical features of non-metal clasp dentures. J Prosthodont Res.
2014;58(2):71-84. doi:10.1016/j.jpor.2014.03.002
 Goodall, W., Greer, A. & Martin, N. Unilateral removable partial
dentures. Br Dent J 222, 79–84 (2017).
 Lim GS et al. The development of flexible denture materials and concept :
a narrative review. JUMMEC 2021 ;24(1): 23-29.
 Alqutaibi AY, Kaddah AF. Attachments used with implant supported
overdenture. Int Dent Med J Adv Res 2016;2:1-5.
 Prasad D K, Prasad D A, Buch M. Selection of attachment systems in
fabricating an implant supported overdenture. J Dent Implant 2014;4:176-
81.
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THANK YOU
AND
HAVE A
PRODUCTIVE DAY!