Patient-Related Outcomes of Digital and Conventional Removable Partial Dentures..A Crossover Randomised Clinical Trial

A within-subject randomized crossover clinical was conducted at the Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University after obtaining an ethical approvalfrom the Faculty Ethical Committee. All patients have signed a consent before being enrolled in the study.

Each participant received three RPDs using three manufacturing techniques (conventional cast Co-Cr, 3D-printed Co-Cr, and milled PEEK) fabricated to the same RPD design specifications. Each RPD worn for 30 days with a one-week washout period between the trial phases.

Participants were selected from partially edentulous patients fulfilling mandibular Kennedy Class I with the first or second premolars as the last abutment teeth bilaterally . Inclusion criteria include good oral hygiene, healthy mucosa, and absence of systemic diseases affecting oral tissues. Exclusion criteria include allergy to materials, poor compliance, or history of temporomandibular disorders.

Sample size estimation is based on detecting a moderate effect size (f = 0.25) with 80% power and α = 0.05, requiring at least 30 participants. To account for possible dropouts, a total of 36 patients was recruited.

Patient satisfaction was assessed using the Visual Analogue Grade (VAG) scale (0-100 mm). The VAG evaluates satisfaction domains such as comfort, esthetics, speech, and mastication, while OHIP-14 measures the impact of oral health on quality of life through 14 questions covering 7 domains. At the end of all the treatment phases participants determined the most preferred denture by answering single choice question of the best overall denture among the three types.