Current state and future challenges of digital removable partial dentures

Current state and future challenges of digital removable partial dentures Dear Readers,As digital dentistry becomes more widespread, it has become increasingly common to fabricate fixed dental prostheses, such as crowns and implant superstructures, using digital technology from 3D data obtained from intraoral scanners (IOS).In implant treatment, surgical simulations and implant placement can be performed using surgical guides or navigation systems with CT image data.After implant placement, a scan body can be attached to the implant, allowing for fabrication of the superstructure using an IOS.The frequent use of standardized prefabricated products in implant treatment allows for a seamless digital workflow from pre-treatment planning to the fabrication of prostheses.In contrast, removable partial dentures (RPDs) consist of many components-rests, clasps, proximal plates, connectors, denture bases, and artificial teeth-and have few standardized parts.In addition, the remaining teeth and residual ridge exhibit significantly different tissue displacements, and it is necessary to achieve harmony between their tissue displacements when the denture is functioning, which creates limitations in using an IOS for RPDs.These factors contribute to the delay in the digitization of RPDs.This article summarizes the current status of digital RPDs and discusses both the current state and future challenges.