Abstract
For patients with dentulous maxillary defects, residual teeth are especially significant as the most important retentive sources. Therefore, one of the most important factors is the design of retainers for the preservation of residual teeth. Case 1 was a 42-year-old female with a hemi-maxillary defect, first examined in 1982. Her first maxillary prosthesis had a multiple T-type bar cast clasps fabricated in our Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Tsurumi University in 1983, and was used for 18 years. Subsequently, a new maxillary prosthesis was fabricated by the same design after one of her six maxillary teeth was lost. Case 2 was a 26-year-old female with an anterior-maxillary defect, first examined in 1982, and already fitted with a maxillary prosthesis with wire clasps. A new metal-based maxillary prosthesis with three T-type bar cast clasps was fabricated in 1984. This new prosthesis was applied with no tooth loss for over 20 years.
A clinical evaluation of these case reports suggested that the passive retainer of single or multiple Roche bar-clasps for maxillary prostheses are effective means to preserve the residual teeth and to retain the prosthesis.
