Within the limitations of this study, it is concluded that DUWLs are not totally free of contamination. Microbial biofilms are a significant source of cross-contamination and cross-infection in the dental clinic environment.

Purpose The aim of this in vitro study was to assess the efficacy of fiber reinforcement to enhance flexural strength of the transitional implant‐supported fixed dental prosthesis (TISFDP). Materials and methods One hundred and forty denture acrylic resin plates (64 mm × 12 mm × 5 mm) with two 7 mm diameter holes were fabricated using heat‐polymerized type (Lucitone 199) and CAD‐CAM prepolymerized type (AvaDent) materials to simulate a chair‐side reconstruction of the TISFDP. Specimens were divided into 7 groups (n = 10) according to the airborne‐particle abrasion of titanium cylinder (Straumann) surface and locations of fiber reinforcement ribbons (Ribbond‐ULTRA). No cylinder surface abrasion and no fiber added acrylate specimens were used as the controls. The prosthetic screws were hand‐tightened on a custom fixture with analogs. Specimen hole and cylinder were joined using a 50:50 mixture of chemically polymerized resin (QYK‐SET; Holmes Dental) and repair resin (Dentsply Sirona). Ten acrylate specimens with no holes were fabricated from each tested material and assigned as positive controls. A modified four‐point bending test (ASTM standard‐D6272) was conducted using a universal testing machine and a custom fixture with a crosshead speed 1 mm/min. The maximum failure loads were recorded. Data were statistically analyzed using 2‐way ANOVA and the Tukey tests at α = 0.05. Results The flexural strength values ranged from 55.4 ±8.3 to 140.9 ±15.4 MPa. The flexural strength decreased significantly when fiber was attached on the titanium cylinder surface (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in flexural strength values between specimens with and without titanium cylinder surface abrasion (p > 0.05). Statistically significant improvement in flexural strength was observed in specimens with fibers attached around the specimen holes (p < 0.05) buccally and lingually. The obtained values were not statistically significantly different from the positive controls (p > 0.05). Some fixation screw fractures were observed before catastrophic failure of specimens during testing. Conclusions Fiber reinforcement significantly improved the flexural strength of denture acrylic resins only if placed around the specimen holes on the tension side at the site of initiation of crack propagation. Even when the specimens underwent catastrophic failure, the segments remained attached to each other with the attached fibers.

Manual impairment could be part of the clinical presentation of a number of systemic conditions or traumas. Inability to successfully remove a removable partial denture is one of the contraindications of this type of treatment. This report presents a technique for fabrication of a custom device made chairside to assist a manually impaired patient due to osteoarthritis with the removal of a removable mandibular prosthesis. This technique could allow patients with similar conditions to replace their missing teeth with removable partial dentures, in cases where a fixed restoration is not an option.