A study on patient-reported clinical effectiveness of different clasps used in removable partial prostheses

Abstract

The main objectives of the study were to investigate the patient reported outcomes of function and aesthetics of removable partial prostheses retained by clasps composed of nylon and wrought stainless steel. The Research Question: Do partially dentate adult patients receiving removable prosthesis retained with nylon clasps report an improvement in the aesthetic and retention of dentures when compared to wrought wire clasps? The methods used: Twenty patients were chosen to take part in the study. The observational period was of six months. The study was a split mouth design, with the same subjects receiving both nylon and metal clasps in the prostheses delivered. Patient-based results were obtained by the use of a standardised questionnaire and The Denture Satisfaction Questionnaire at each time point of the study. The information reported was analysed with the use of SPSS 20.0 software (IBM Company, Chicago, IL, USA). The overall findings and conclusions: Within the limitations of the observation period, we conclude that nylon clasps were preferred for confidence, function and aesthetics when compared to their metal counterparts. Recommendations and implementations for practice: Prior to reaching conclusive outcomes, a longer-term follow up study is required to ascertain the short-term observations of this investigation are maintained over time. Another recommendation would be that the sample size of test subjects would be larger in order to decrease the standard error and hence increase accuracy of the results. Since nylon clasps were overall superior, this could mean that practically, dentures with such clasps would require less upkeep (due to better retention) and be more accepted by the patients (due to higher satisfaction) - Ultimately giving a holistically better result.