Effects of acrylic removable partial dentures on periodontal health of abutment teeth.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the outcomes in patients wearing particularly designed acrylic removable partial dentures at different time intervals. Study Design: Descriptive Case Series Study. Setting: Department of Prosthodontics, FMH College of Dentistry, Lahore. Period: October 2017 to April, 2018. Material & Methods: Sixty five (65) abutments of acrylic removable partial denture wearers were included in the study for assessment of Mean Clinical Attachment Level (CAL), Tooth Mobility (TM) and Mean Gingival Index (GI). These periodontal parameters were clinically assessed at the day of insertion, 30^th day and 60^th day of insertion. Mean Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) was measured by William’s Probe. Tooth Mobility (TM) was assessed using Miller’s Classification. Gingival health was evaluated using the Gingival Index (GI) of Loe and Silness. Mean and standard deviation were calculated for patient’s age and all the periodontal scores of abutment teeth. Data was stratified for age and gender to identify the effect modifiers. Pearson chi-square test was used for Mean Gingival Index, and Mean Tooth Mobility. Post-stratification student t-test for Mean Clinical Attachment Level was used to compare the results with p ≤ 0.05 considered as significant. Results: Sstatistically insignificant results for all the periodontal parameters, i.e. the Mean Gingival Index (GI), Tooth Mobility (TM) and Mean Clinical Attachment Loss (CAL) were observed, age being not influencing the periodontal health of abutments. The only statistically significant (p= 0.01) result was observed for the Tooth Mobility (TM) in gender categories at the day of insertion and the 30^th day of insertion. Conclusion: All the periodontal parameters, except tooth mobility (TM) assessed in the study, were not affected by the acrylic removable partial denture wearing.