Indications for Flexible and Rigid Removable Partial Prostheses in Iraq

The glossary of prosthodontic terminology defines denture esthetics as "the effect produced by the prosthesis that affects the person's beauty and attractiveness." The esthetics and masticatory function would be considered while considering treatment for people who are partially edentulous. The esthetic repair of removable partial dentures (RPD) is an important function that determines the success of the treatment. The most difficult challenge is to achieve optimal esthetics while maintaining retentive integrity, stability, and tooth health. Removable partial prosthesis is an abhorrent therapeutic technique that is still used in some situations and is standard practice. However, these patients expect prostheses to be as aesthetically pleasing as any other modern therapeutic option. Since 2013, the Iraqi Dental Association/Baghdad has been approached and has provided a cell phone listing of 68 dental laboratories. All of the dental laboratories on the list were contacted and encouraged to participate in this study. They were also asked about their laboratory's equipment for removing flexible and hard acrylic partial dentures with modified clasps. Respondents were also asked to report any new cases of flexible or hard denture manufacturing that they had received from physicians. Four (5.88%) of the 68 dental laboratories listed were non contactable, and five (7.35%) did not respond to the invitation to participate in this study; fourteen (20.58%) of the remaining laboratories did not have the facilities to fabricate flexible dentures in their offices and focused on hard acrylic prostheses, leaving 45 (66.17%) laboratories participating in this study. The remaining laboratories possessed the capability of fabricating flexible and rigid dentures (with lingual clasp modification) in their offices. Because no previous study has been conducted in Iraq, this investigative research will provide baseline data in this area. As a result, the data collected was analyzed quantitatively rather than qualitatively. Flexible denture manufacture revealed distinctions between various types of dentures rather than acrylic rigid dentures.