Guide-Plane Retention in Designing Removable Partial Dentures

Purpose: To compare the influence of abutment teeth guide planes and guiding surfaces on retention of a removable partial denture (RPD). Materials and Methods: Extracted teeth embedded into a maxillary cast in the first premolar and second molar positions simulated two bounded saddles. Acrylic resin RPDs were made with no guide planes, then with guide planes, then with guiding surfaces added to directly contact the guide planes. The maximum loads on removal from the cast were recorded. Results: There was a significant increase in retention force of 1.6 times when only guide planes were present and of 10.2 times when guiding surfaces intimately contacted the guide planes. Conclusion: The retention of acrylic resin RPDs can be substantially increased by making their guiding surfaces intimately contact the guide planes of the teeth.