Denture Tooth Materials — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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HardDental MaterialsDenture Tooth MaterialsORE Part 1

A 50-year-old patient wears a mandibular removable partial denture. Its posterior acrylic resin teeth have undergone marked occlusal wear and require replacement. The opposing posterior teeth are sound natural enamel. Assuming that occlusion and denture support have been assessed and corrected, which replacement denture-tooth material is most appropriate?

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Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: C — Nanofilled composite resin teeth

Explanation lettering: C = shown as A · D = shown as C · E = shown as D · A = shown as E

D is correct. When replacement denture teeth oppose natural enamel, nanofilled composite resin provides the best balance between wear of the artificial tooth and wear of its enamel antagonist. In a chewing-simulator study using human enamel, the composite resin-enamel pairing had the lowest total vertical substance loss and was judged more suitable than acrylic resin or feldspathic ceramic. Conventional acrylic resin (B) is more prone to wear, explaining the presenting problem. Feldspathic porcelain (C) is wear-resistant itself but may produce unacceptable total wear with enamel antagonists. Cobalt-chromium occlusal surfaces (A) may be used in selected prosthodontic situations, but are not the best routine answer here. Direct additions (E) are a repair rather than replacement of substantially worn denture teeth.

Reference: Ghazal M, Kern M. Wear of denture teeth and their human enamel antagonists. Quintessence International. 2010;41(2):157-163. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20165747/