Wearing of removable partial dentures in relation to dental caries

Summary Using a representative sample of 5028 dentulous Finnish adults the occurrence of dental caries was studied among removable partial denture (RPD) wearers and non-wearers. Of the subjects wearing no RPD(s) 61·4% had one or more carious teeth, among those wearing a single RPD the figure was 60·5% and among those wearing RPDs in both jaws 62·7%, respectively. When sociodemographic background, other oral status measures than caries and oral health care habits were simultaneously controlled, subjects wearing RPDs in both jaws had slightly increased (P≥0·05) probability of having one or more carious teeth compared to those with no RPD(s). Subjects with a single RPD did not have a statistically significantly increased probability of having carious teeth. Among those 3075 subjects who had one or more carious teeth the wearing of one or two RPDs did not significantly increase the number of carious teeth. Because the subjects wearing RPDs in both jaws were seen to have a slightly increased risk of having caries, this confirms the view that dentists should emphasize good oral hygiene habits and regular dental attendance among RPD wearers.