LOAD TRANSMISSION EVALUATION BY REMOVABLE DISTAL-EXTENSION PARTIAL DENTURES USING HOLOGRAPHIC-INTERFEROMETRY

Five pairs of bilateral distal-extension removable partial dentures wi th different clasp designs were constructed on the same dried human ma ndible in order to compare their load distribution characteristics. Th e technique of holographic interferometry was used. Among the dentures tested, those with RPI and back action clasps having mesial rests pro vided the best results from the mechanical point of view. The most unf avourable behaviour was presented by the Akers clasps design. The RPA design and dentures having clasps with continuous MOD rest gave interm ediate results.