Statement of the problem: Flexible denture is usually chosen by patients whom esthetics is their top priority, who refuse preparation of the abutment teeth or who have allergy to the metal. Patients are looking for restoring their lost teeth. However, the purpose of denture construction should involve the maintenance of the surrounding tissue health.
Aim of study: to correlate the type of denture base with the distribution of masticatory forces through examining the histological changes in the alveolar mucosa.
Methods: 12 partially edentulous patients with the same missing teeth were selected from Prosthodontics outpatient clinic, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo University. 6 Patients received metallic partial denture while the rest received flexible partial denture. 2 smear biopsies were taken on the day of delivery and 6 month after denture insertion, stained with PAP and examined histologically to assess the number of keratinized cells.
Results: by Using paired-t-test it show that both types of denture bases altered alveolar mucosal keratinization but there was a significant difference in number of keratinized cells among pretreatment, after-metallic, and after-flexible denture insertion. Flexible partial denture showed thinner and less keratinized epithelium.
Conclusion: Any prosthetic restoration placed in the oral cavity will induce some mucosal changes .The biocompatibility of the prosthesis with oral tissue should be considered in addition to patient's and dentist's preference