Ethics in the provision of removable partial dentures

ABSTRACT

Aim: To investigate the construction of cobalt-chromium removable partial dentures by commercialprivate dental laboratories. Methods: Ninety master casts for fabrication of cobalt-chromiumremovable partial dentures were obtained from three commercial laboratories randomly selected.Casts were assessed for dental arch treated, Kennedy classification, cast surveying, denturedesign information provided by the dentist, and mouth preparation (rest seat, guiding plane andretentive area). Dental technicians answered a questionnaire regarding qualification of assisteddentists, monthly number of framework castings, and use of dental surveyor. Mouth preparationwas compared among laboratories using Kruskal-Wallis test (α=0.05). Results: The percentageof Kennedy class I was 16%, class II 19%, class III 56%, and class IV 9%. The majority ofmaster cats (51%) examined was sent to dental laboratories without any design information anddid not comply with ethical guidelines in the provision of RPD. Approximately half of the castswere considered “inappropriate” for guiding planes and retentive areas. One of the laboratoriespresented all casts “inappropriate” for rest seat distribution (p<0.001). Conclusions: Mouthpreparation frequently failed for guiding planes, retentive areas and distribution of rest seats. It isnecessary to provide students with adequate clinical experience at the dental school environment,which will actually be carried into the practice of dentistry.