Evaluation of Clinical Training for Removable Partial Denture at the Tokyo Medical and Dental University

Purpose: The aim of this study was to survey the undergraduate removable partial denture (RPD) clinical program and RPD’s fabricated by students in 2006, and to identify the problems to be solved in the future. Methods: Sixty-nine students in their final semester at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) recorded the following preoperative data: age, gender, chief complaint, and Kennedy and Eichner classifica tions. The students were requested to present their treated cases and were subjected to an oral examination by the professor to determine the treatment plan and prosthetic design of denture. Additionally, the students surveyed the chewing function score and visual analogue scale (VAS) regarding esthetics and stability of RPD, and the material used for RPD frameworks was summarized. Results: The patients included 35 men and 34 women, and their chief complaints were mostly dissatisfaction with their current dentures. More than 80% of cases were classified as Kennedy I or II, and about one-fourth were classified as Eichner B4 or C1, in which the occlusal supports could not easily be reconstructed. Chewing function score significantly improved compared to preoperative state (P<0.05) and postoperative VAS was clinically acceptable. 89% of frameworks, were cast with Co-Cr alloy in one piece and a palatal strap or bar and a lingual bar were applied in 77% of treated RPDs. Conclusion: It is thought that our educational methods for delivery of RPDs are adequate. Since it is suggested by an objective assessment of them that they are unsatisfactory, we should deal with that problem without delay.