Progressive Denture Loosening — ORE Part 1 MCQ

Instant feedback + full explanation. One question, done properly.

EasyProsthodonticsProgressive Denture LooseningORE Part 1

A 55-year-old patient complains that their complete upper denture has become progressively looser over the past 2 years despite not having changed. What is the most likely cause?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: B — Continued alveolar bone resorption beneath the denture

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

The most likely cause of progressive denture loosening over 2 years is continued alveolar bone resorption beneath the denture. Ridge resorption is a chronic, progressive, and irreversible process that begins after tooth extraction and continues throughout the edentulous period. As the supporting bone resorbs, the ridge becomes smaller, and contact between the denture base and ridge tissue is reduced, causing loosening. Distractors E and B address denture material properties (water absorption, expansion) but are minor contributors compared to tissue resorption. Options C and D (heat warping, occlusal change) do not explain the progressive nature of the problem. Relining is the standard clinical management to restore retention by adapting the denture base to the resorbed ridge.

Reference: Pham NQ, Gonda T, Maeda Y, Ikebe K. Average rate of ridge resorption in denture treatment: A Systematic Review. J Prosthodont Res. 2021 Oct;65(4):429-437. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23348174/ (and supporting literature cited above)