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Custom Made Device for Removal of Removable Partial Denture in a Patient with Manual Impairment

Now online in the Journal of Prosthodontics, a report co-authored by ACP members, Foteini Touloumi, DDS, MSD, FACP, Shivani Suvarna, BDS, MSD, and Thomas D. Taylor, DDS, MSD, FACP.

This report presents a technique for fabrication of a custom device made chairside to assist a manually impaired patient due to osteoarthritis with the removal of an RPD.

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint disease and it’s projected that by 2030 about 67 million adults will have been diagnosed with this condition. It can lead to a reduction of grip strength, and difficulties with manual activities.

As described in this report, a 77-year-old male presented to the clinic for routine examination and indicated that he had not been wearing his RPD because he was unable to remove it due to stiffness of his fingers.

A device was easily fabricated chairside in a single visit. A stainless steel clasp wire was utilized and bent with pliers in such a way as to have one end formed into a hook and the other end was left straight. Clear resin was used to make a handle on the straight end of the wire. The device was tried-in and tested by the patient, and he was able to easily remove his RPD.

This technique presents a simple, cost-effective, and practical way to assist a patient with manual dexterity impairment.

Touloumi F, Suvarna S, Florentine CM, Taylor TD: Custom made device for removal of removable partial denture in a patient with manual impairment. J Prosthodont 2022; https://doi.org/10.1111/jopr.13475

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