Late results of treatment with partial dentures

Ninety-nine people who were fitted with partial dentures in 1959 were invited to take part in an investigation 13 years later. A questionnaire was answered by fifty-eight, which means a frequency of 81% if allowance is made for an explainable loss. Of the sixty-eight partial dentures in these fifty-eight patients, twenty-three were still being used, fourteen patients had had their original partial dentures replaced by new ones and three by a fixed bridge, while seven had been replaced by complete dentures. Twenty-one were no longer used and had not been replaced. Of the fifty-four patients who originally had a complete upper denture and a partial lower denture, thirty were still available. Following an invitation to take part in a clinical review, twenty-seven (90%) co-operated. Most of the patients were in need of treatment (for caries, periodontitis and/or prosthetic treatment). The periodontal injuries were rarely serious. A correlation was found between good oral hygiene and good results of treatment.