Evaluation of retentive force of two different clip materials on castable bar of mandibular tooth retained overdentures

Purpose This study aimed to evaluate retentive force of two different clip materials on castable bar of mandibular tooth retained overdentures. Patients and methods A total of 20 male patients were selected from the Clinic of Removable Prosthodontics' Department. Faculty of Dentistry, Sinai University (Kantara), having completely edentulous maxillary and partially edentulous mandibular arches with two canines remains (33, 43). Patients were divided into two equal groups. Group I: received a mandibular overdenture with a plastic (Nylon) clip and group II: received a mandibular overdenture with a poly-ether-ether-ketone clip. Retention force was recorded at time of insertion (T0), 6 months (T6), and 12 months (T12) later. Results Significant difference was recorded between the two groups in initial retention forces (T0) where group II showed higher retention forces in comparison to group I (P = 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed between two groups at T6 and T12. Within group comparison of mean retention values at different follow-up periods revealed significant difference for both groups. Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that both poly-ether-ether-ketone and Nylon retentive clip can provide acceptable and comparable retention force when used with castable bar during 12 months of overdenture use.