Effect of removable partial dentures on oral health-related quality of life in subjects with shortened dental arches: a 2-center cross-sectional study.

Purpose: To assess the value of removable partial dentures (RPDs) in subjects with shortened dental arches (SDAs) with regard to quality of life.

Materials And Methods: Subjects from 2 university dental centers (82 men, 78 women; mean age: 54 +/- 18 years) were categorized into the following groups: (1) SDA with intact anterior regions (SDA-1, n = 44); (2) SDA and interrupted anterior region (SDA-2, n = 21); (3) SDA (intact anterior region) extended with distal-extension RPD (RPD-1, n = 25); (4) subjects with interrupted SDA and interrupted anterior region treated with RPD (RPD-2, n = 32); or (5) complete dental arches (CDA, n = 38) as a control. All subjects underwent a short clinical examination and completed 2 structured questionnaires: the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) and the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36).