here are many excelIent textbooks that deal with the clinical and laboratory aspects of removable partial dentures. From these one can learn the liner points of partial denture theory and practice. It is often difficult, however, for denial students and practitioners to condense such a huge amount of information into a workable treatment plan for a patient.
There are also those textbooks which seem to oversimplify and which present standardised designs for various combinations of tooth loss without regard to the infinite variety possible, such as differences among the patients themselves, dental history, biological background, tooth form and position, occlusion, and so on.
For these reasons we feel there is a need for something to bridge the gap between a detailed text and such a 'design by role' approach.
In presenting this manual we assume that you have a working knowledge of the physiology and pathology of the oral cavity. We also assume that you are reasonably familiar with partial denture components, their functions, dimensions and variations, and that you have in front of you the medical and dental history, examination charts, radiographs and articulated, surveyed study casts of your patient.
Where do you go from here? How do you channel all the information into a cohesive, workable treatment plan and denture design for the patient you are treating?
We have tried to present a step-by-step, rational approach, describing basic principles and simple, reliable techniques which will make working with the partially edentulous patient both predictable and successful.
We hope we have succeeded and that you find this manual helpful.