ORAL CONDITIONS AND APTITUDE TO RECEIVE IMPLANTS IN PATIENTS WITH REMOVABLE PARTIAL DENTURE - A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY .2. APTITUDE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possibility of replacing rem ovable partial denture (RPD) with fixed partial dentures on osseointeg rated implants in a selective group of patients with partially edentul ous lower jaws. Forty patients were evaluated to receive implants. Twe nty-three patients showed a precarious oral hygiene, five patients ref used the treatment (being satisfied with their RPD), six refused for e conomic reasons, three patients refused for fear and scepticism, one f or long duration of therapy, and one was not treated because of a very marked atrophy of the alveolar crest. Finally, one patient was treate d with implants. For these reasons, at the present time implants are n ot an appropriate treatment for introduction into large-scale public h ealth programmes and RPD must still be considered a valid therapeutic procedure.