Patient use of removable partial dentures: two- and four-year telephone interviews.

Two telephone surveys requested patients to report on their use of removable partial dentures that were constructed by undergraduate dental students. In the first survey, of the 431 patients called, 290 were contacted and interviewed 24 to 33 months after their removable partial denture(s) had been inserted. Of these, 258 patients reported using their prostheses and 238 had no apparent problems. In the second survey, the 238 trouble-free removable partial denture wearers from the first survey were called and 169 were contacted and interviewed 48 to 57 months after the removable partial dentures had been inserted. Of these, 156 reported still using their prosthesis and 152 had no apparent problems. These data are provided, along with some interpretive caveats, for dentists to use in discussing treatment options with patients.