Mandibular Kennedy Class I implant-tooth-borne removable partial denture: a systematic review.

The purpose of this systematic review is to evaluate the use of implant-tooth-borne removable partial dentures in prosthetic rehabilitation of Kennedy Class I partially edentulous arches. A comprehensive search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Oral Health Group's Trials Register, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, UK National Research Register, Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), conference proceedings and abstracts up to 25 August 2009. Searching the reference list of the selected articles and hand searching of several journals were also performed. A total of nine studies were included. Of these, two were randomized, three were retrospective and four were case reports. All but two had a low reporting quality (level IV on a four-level hierarchy of evidence). Nevertheless, the improvement in function, aesthetics and stability has been demonstrated in all studies with minimal prosthetic care. Within the limitations of this study, implant-assisted/supported removable partial denture may provide a simple, economical and less invasive treatment modality. The predictability of such approach in the management of bilateral distal-extension situation is, however, still questionable. A higher quality of published studies namely with a focus on long-term randomized clinical trials are needed.