Abstract
Statement of problem. Research-based assessments of the quality of removable partial dentures (RPDs), especially within a large patient population, are lacking. Purpose. This study evaluated the prevalence and quality of RPDs by use of the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES III) data set. Material and methods. Estimates of the health and nutritional status of the American population were obtained from the NHANES III data set (1988-1994). Calibrated dentists performed dental examinations on 17,884 adults. If the subject wore an RPD, its quality was assessed with 5 criteria: integrity, tooth wear, the presence of temporary reline material or adhesive, stability, and retention. In this study, the data on RPD defects were used to assess the prevalence of problems. The original population was divided into 4 subgroups: paired RPD data = subjects wearing both maxillary and mandibular RPDs (n = 600 prostheses, 300 maxillary and 300 mandibular); single RPD data = subjects with only one RPD (n = 1003 prostheses, 511 maxillary and 492 mandibular); maxillary versus mandibular RPD data = all subjects with all RPDs (n = 1603 prostheses, 811 maxillary and 792 mandibular); and pooled RPD data = all subjects with a single RPD plus subjects with 2 RPDs, counting only the RPD with the most defects (n = 1303 prostheses, 674 maxillary and 629 mandibular). The subjects were analyzed with descriptive statistics. The distribution of defects in the RPDs was examined for possible associations with χ2 tests. The paired data for patients with both maxillary and mandibular RPDs were analyzed with Wilcoxon signed rank tests. The prevalence of RPDs as a function of patient age and the association between RPD defects and patient age were analyzed with χ2 tests. The results were considered highly significant at P