Introduction: Partial edentulism is considered one of the challenging topics in dentistry. The main objectives of the patient are to restore function and esthetics. However, the dentist’s main goals are preserving the remaining teeth supporting structures and restoring the patient’s quality of life. A Removable Partial Denture (RPD) design should be considered carefully for each case, as there are clinical and personal variables for each patient that will impact the prognosis of the denture. With the growing need for RPD, design principles require more research to improve the preservation of abutment teeth. This study aims to clinically evaluate the abutment teeth and supporting tissues before and after RPD placement and to correlate these clinical findings with the RPD components.

Methods: Patients were recruited from the dental clinic at Schulich Dentistry, Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. Abutment teeth were evaluated for the following clinical parameters: Tooth Mobility (TM), caries, defective restorations, tooth fracture, Probing Depth (PD), Gingival Recession (GR), bleeding on probing (BOP) and Plaque Index (PI). These clinical measurements were collected at the time of RPD insertion and at least two years after. Clinical parameters were analyzed using Kruskal Wallis H, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-Squared tests.

Results: 34 participants were recruited, and 40 cast metal RPDs were evaluated. The mean age of participants was 73.8 years, and the mean duration of denture use was 37.6 months. Most frameworks assessed were Kennedy Class III RPDs. Caries were significantly associated with rest type, wherein occlusal rests showed an increased incidence of caries compared to cingulum rests. The retentive clasp arm type was associated with a mean difference in PD, wherein cast circumferential and wrought wire clasp arms had deeper PD after RPD insertion than Infra gingival clasps (I-bars).

Conclusion: The results of this study suggest clasp arms and occlusal rests influence dental disease. Larger samples and more clinical studies are needed to confirm the role of specific RPD components on the abutment teeth prognosis.