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Restorative & Materials · single question

A patient has only teeth #22–27 remaining (the six mandibular anterior teeth, opposing a maxillary complete denture). What classic finding would you expect to see, consistent with 'combination syndrome'?

  1. A flabby, hyperplastic anterior maxillary ridge with underlying bone loss (from the natural mandibular anterior teeth overloading the denture-bearing anterior maxilla)
  2. A flabby ridge limited to the posterior maxilla only
  3. Loss of interarch space only, with no ridge changes
  4. No expected changes at all
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Correct answer: A. A flabby, hyperplastic anterior maxillary ridge with underlying bone loss (from the natural mandibular anterior teeth overloading the denture-bearing anterior maxilla)

This is the classic setup for Kelly's combination syndrome: natural mandibular anterior teeth opposing a maxillary complete denture. The concentrated functional forces from the natural anterior teeth on the anterior maxillary denture-bearing area lead to progressive anterior maxillary bone resorption with replacement by flabby, mobile hyperplastic tissue, often accompanied by papillary hyperplasia of the palate and loss of vertical dimension over time.

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