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Sectional dentures are constructed in separate parts which join together intra-orally to create a single prosthesis. They are used to exploit undercuts around teeth, hard and soft tissues which require more than one path of insertion, and are usually of split pin or locking bolts design. By using two case studies, we aim to illustrate the provision of sectional dentures and to which situations their uses are best suited.
A 30-year-old male was referred to the Department of Prosthetics at the Birmingham Dental Hospital for a replacement upper partial cobalt chrome denture of a Kennedy Class IV bounded saddle. The patient had a history of failed upper cobalt chrome removable partial dentures owing to loss of retention and poor stability over the previous 12 months. A 40-year-old female patient was referred by her GDP for restoration of a bounded saddle in the lower right quadrant with a history of intolerance to previous dentures.
These two cases demonstrate the successful use of sectional dentures in the aesthetic zone. Although more technically demanding, they lie well within the scope of general practice and offer patients alternative solutions from dental implants and bridgework. These cases highlight the importance of the use of alternative prosthetic techniques which can be simple and achievable for all practitioners.
Clinical Relevance: Sectional dentures are a treatment modality for the edentulous space where the presence of one or more undercuts prevents restoration by more conventional techniques. This paper highlights some of the situations in which sectional dentures can be employed and emphasizes their use in general practice.
Article
Restoration of the edentulous area is one of the commonest problems faced by dentists, especially due to the increasing proportion of partial edentulism. The treatment of choice has largely been implant–supported/retained prosthesis and adhesive bridgework to restore limited bounded saddles, especially in the aesthetic zone. Removable partial dentures still remain a cost-effective way of managing the edentulous saddle, especially if the saddle area is particularly large. A common problem in the bounded saddle is where there are two or more opposing undercuts. Achieving a good aesthetic result is difficult where there are undercuts around the abutment teeth predisposing to food packing areas and black triangles.1 An alternative approach would be a sectional denture. A sectional denture is defined as a prosthesis which is composed of two or more parts, each utilizing differing (and often conflicting) paths of insertion.
This was first reported in the literature by Lee and Simmons in 1963.2,3 The two parts of the sectional denture, when inserted together, can provide enhanced retention by utilizing two separate paths of insertion of the individual components. There are two common designs of sectional dentures, the lock and bolt design and the split pin design.2,4 The denture usually consists of two separate sections which are locked together in the patient's mouth and requires separation into the component parts in order to remove them. Three-part sectional dentures have been reported in the literature.5 Advantages and disadvantages of sectional dentures versus conventional design dentures is highlighted in Table 1. Although there are some disadvantages of sectional dentures, they remain a vital treatment option in certain situations.
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