Subjective assessment of lingual bar and plate as major connectors in removable partial dentures

Introduction. Removable partial denture (RPD) is the most common option for replacing missing teeth in Nigeria principally because of the relatively low cost. Although there is a huge bulk of literature about the design of RPDs, only few studies paid attention to the patient’s subjective reaction to dentures with different connector designs. Aim of the study. To assess the subjective reaction of patients in a Nigerian teaching hospital to the wearing of RPDs with lingual bar and plate major connectors. Material and method. Fifteen patients with mandibular partially edentulous arches aged 28 to 60 years participated in the study. Two metal dentures with different connector designs (lingual plate and lingual bar) were fabricated for each patient and each denture was worn for two weeks. The patients were then recalled and assessed subjectively using a structured questionnaire that asked about the dentures interference with speech, mastication, swallowing and at rest. Results. Majority of the patients reported that the denture with lingual bar interfered less with speech (73.33%), mastication (40%) and at rest (40%). Conclusion. The result of this study showed that denture with lingual bar was subjectively more acceptable than denture with plateamong the studied population.