A completed denture arrives back from the laboratory. What is the FIRST thing you should do?

Correct answer: C. Confirm the case belongs to the correct patient

• A. Border extension assessment is part of the intraoral evaluation and happens later in the sequence.
• B. Occlusal verification matters, but only once you know whose denture you are examining.
• C. CORRECT. Confirming patient identity precedes every other check, because every subsequent step is wasted if the case is the wrong one, and trying a wrong prosthesis in a patient's mouth is both a cross-contamination and a medico-legal problem. Match the case to the name, the work order and the prescription before anything else.
• D. Disinfection is essential before any intraoral placement and comes immediately after identity confirmation, but the case must be correctly identified first.

Note: Laboratory-returned case protocol: confirm identity, then disinfect, then inspect on the cast for fit and processing errors, then evaluate intraorally. Any prosthesis moving between office and laboratory must be disinfected in BOTH directions.