Comparison of the impact of two types of removable partial dentures on the periodontal health of the remaining teeth: A prospective clinical study

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate and compare the impact of two removable partial dentures (acrylic removable partial denture [ARPD] and metallic removable partial denture [MRPD]) on periodontal tissues of the remaining teeth in the first 12 months of denture use. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This prospective clinical study included 40 patients, of which 20 received ARPDs, 20 received MRPDs, nine in the maxilla, and 11 in the mandible each. The patients were 45–65 years old; 24 were females, and 16 were males. Patients’ demographic details, clinical indicators of periodontal complications, and biochemical measurement of Hs‐C‐reactive protein (CRP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were considered. One‐way analysis of covariance and Friedman were used to measure the differences in clinical periodontal parameters between the two types of dentures. RESULTS: The significant findings were: Plaque index (PLAQ) scores for abutment teeth were higher in MRPD wearers (mean = 12.15) than ARPD wearers (mean = 10.45), whereas ARPD users had significantly higher mean bleeding on probing (BOP) values (mean = 1.5) than MRPD users (mean = 0.00); mobility of abutment teeth showed no significant differences; timeline comparisons showed a significant increase in the percentage of nonabutment teeth mobility in ARPD users (p = .028) compared with MRPD users over the same follow‐up period (p = .102). CONCLUSIONS: For a short‐term period of 1 year, periodontal and mobility parameters have no significant impact on the abutment and nonabutment teeth of ARPD and MRPD users. Moreover, biochemical markers (CRP and ALP) for periodontal inflammation exhibited no significant difference in both types of dentures.