Removable Partial Denture Design in Dental Practice: Epidemiological Study in the Region of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (Part 1)

Abstract

Introduction In spite of the enrichment of our therapeutic panoply by the integration of implants and CAD/CAM techniques, the removable partial denture with metallic infrastructure (RPD) will remain an unavoidable alternative in the rehabilitation of partial edentulous teeth. The purpose of this survey, divided into three parts, is to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dentists in private practice in the Rabat-Sale-Kenitra region regarding the design of removable partial dentures, to provide information on the means of communication with laboratory technicians, and to investigate possible correlations between the failure of the prosthetic project and certain adopted practices. Materials and methods The study concerned a sample of 101 dentists practicing in the region of Rabat-Sale-Kenitra to whom we sent an anonymous 4-page printed questionnaire containing 28 questions on the design of metal frames in PAPM. A descriptive and analytical statistical study was conducted to process the data. Results Following the results of the statistical study, only 8% of the practitioners performed more than 10 partial removable prostheses per month, 17% did not perform a clinical examination, 20% did not perform a study model, 69% did not perform the RPD design by themselves and entrusted this task to the dental technician while 89% did not use a Dental Servoyer. Conclusion This survey showed that a large number of practitioners do not follow the rules of good practice and that they lack knowledge of RPD design. Therefore, postgraduate training is envisaged to eventually help practitioners to implement these good practices and to improve this knowledge. However, it was noted that only 58% of the practitioners in our sample were interested in such training.