Implants in conjunction with removable partial dentures: a literature review.

Although the benefits of implant-borne removable prostheses are readily apparent for the fully edentulous patient and have been well documented, there is a paucity of studies concerning the combination of implants with removable partial dentures in partially edentulous patients. The aim of this article is to review the literature regarding implants with removable partial dentures and evaluate the evidence for this clinical approach. A MEDLINE/PubMed search from 1990 to 2006, focusing on the use of implants with removable partial dentures and related features, was supplemented with a hand search to identify relevant peer-reviewed English articles published in dental journals and textbooks on removable partial dentures.