Purpose: To evaluate the extent to which dentists elaborate removable partial denture (RPD) design themselves and what they leave to the dental laboratory, as well as to assess the quality of information transferred to the technicians.
Materials and Methods: Data were collected using a questionnaire, and the responses of 211 dentists were analyzed. The categorized variables were analyzed using chi-square test and Fisher exact test. The significance level was considered as the standard P < .05.
Results: More than half (59.0%) of the dentists reported making an accurate, clear design for the dental technician before fabrication of the metal-framework RPD; 191 dentists (91.0%) specified the abutment teeth, 70.8% chose the type of clasps, and 60.7% gave instructions for the major connectors. The respondents largely took into account periodontal hygiene considerations (82.4%), and about one-third (37.7%) reported they were sending clear, precise instructions to the lab. The denture design was sent to the technician mainly (65.0%) in both drawing and text form. About half of the dentists (55.6%) gave only guidelines and left more details to be defined by the dental technician. Most dentists took responsibility in case of esthetic problems, irrespective of whether the dentist or technician prepared the denture design.
Conclusion: Everyday practice concerning RPD design is far from the professional, legal, and ethical guidelines and rules relating to the duties and responsibilities of the dentist in relation to RPD design, and the situation therefore needs to be improved.
