Prosthodontics & Occlusion · patient case with 1 question
Planning a removable partial denture
Patient: Female, 64 years old
Chief Complaint: “I want something to replace my back teeth on one side.”
Background: Non-smoker, controlled hypertension. Wants a removable option.
Findings: Mandibular arch: teeth #22 through #27 present and sound. All teeth posterior to #27 on the right side are missing (unilateral distal extension). An additional bounded edentulous space is present between #20 and #18. Remaining teeth have good bone support.
Question 1
How is this mandibular arch classified?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Kennedy Class II, modification 1
- A. Class I is a BILATERAL distal extension. Here only one side extends distally.
- B. Modification 2 would require two additional edentulous areas beyond the one that sets the class. Only one is described.
- C. Class III is a unilateral edentulous area BOUNDED by natural teeth at both ends — which describes the secondary space here, but the distal extension outranks it and sets the class.
- D. CORRECT. A UNILATERAL edentulous area posterior to the remaining natural teeth is Kennedy CLASS II. One additional edentulous area is present (the bounded space between #20 and #18), so it is modification 1. Applegate's rules: classify after all extractions are done, the most posterior edentulous area determines the class, and only the number of ADDITIONAL areas — not their size — sets the modification.
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