Removable partial dentures (RPDs) are used to replace missing teeth to improve masticatory efficiency, enhance appearance, prevent unwanted teeth movement and/or improve phonetics. They may be chosen over fixed prosthetics for various reasons, including financial limitations, to facilitate hygiene access, or to overcome biomechanical issues associated with dental implants. The number of people with partial dentures is rising in line with increased numbers of partially dentate adults. This is thought to correlate with increased life expectancy and numbers of elders in the population, and a shift from total edentulism towards partial edentulism as oral hygiene improves. An analysis in the US highlighted the growing need for prosthodontic treatment, expected to exceed the supply available in 2020 Recent data from a global market research study, conducted in 2015, suggested approximately 19% of adults wear dentures, of whom most (60%) were partial denture wearers.
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