Non-Cross-Arch Implant-Crown-Retained Removable Partial Denture With Segmented Short-Span Splinted Crowns and Occlusal-Rest-Free Ring Clasps for Maxillary Edentulism: A 4-Year Follow-Up Case Report

Patient: Male, 61-year-old Final Diagnosis: Maxillary partial edentulism with chronic periodontitis Symptoms: Missing maxillary left posterior teeth • reduced masticatory efficiency • mobility of the maxillary right anterior teeth • poor retention of the previous removable partial denture Clinical Procedure: Tooth extraction, dental implant placement, and rehabilitation with an implant-crown-retained removable partial denture Specialty: Dentistry Background:This report describes an incremental design refinement of the implant-crown-retained removable partial denture (ICRPD) for maxillary edentulous rehabilitation, comprising a non-cross-arch configuration with segmented short-span splinted crowns and occlusal-rest-free ring clasps. Case Report:A 61-year-old man presented with maxillary edentulism and dissatisfaction with his previous removable partial denture, which he had worn for 2 years with progressively deteriorating retention.Clinical and radiographic examinations revealed partial edentulism and chronic periodontitis.After initial periodontal therapy, teeth #13, #14, and #23 were extracted; implants were placed at sites #13, #14, #23, and #24.Following osseointegration, an ICRPD was fabricated using short-span splinted implant crowns and pure titanium ring clasps without occlusal rests.The prosthesis provided retention through implant crowns with combined implant-mucosal support.At the 4-year follow-up, probing depths were 1 to 3 mm without bleeding on probing.The patient reported high satisfaction; the OHIP-EDENT score (Chinese version) decreased from 5 to 2, and the visual analog scale pain score decreased from 3 to 0. Radiographic assessment showed marginal bone loss of 0.16 to 1.67 mm.Cone-beam computed tomography confirmed stable marginal bone levels.No biological or mechanical complications were observed. Conclusions:This case demonstrates that the refined ICRPD design, incorporating occlusal-rest-free ring clasps and shortspan splinted crowns, provided reliable retention and long-term stability over 4 years, without mechanical complications and with high patient satisfaction.These findings support the clinical feasibility of this design, which may represent a promising option for appropriately selected patients; it is hypothesized to reduce the prosthetic span and limit unfavorable load transmission to the implant necks.