What is a common cause of denture fracture and how can it be prevented?

• A. Excessive polishing
• B. Too much cleaning
• C. Inadequate thickness; prevent with proper design, processing controls, and balanced occlusion
• D. Using wrong color

Answer: (C)

Fracture happens most often when the denture base isn’t thick enough to resist the bending forces it encounters during chewing. Thin areas become weak points where flexural stress concentrates, allowing cracks to initiate and propagate until the denture breaks. To prevent this, maintain a uniform, adequate thickness in the base through good design and meticulous processing. Proper processing controls are essential because a well-made resin with minimal porosity and low residual monomer strength the material and reduces crack initiation. Additionally, achieving balanced occlusion helps spread biting forces evenly across the denture rather than concentrating them in a single thin area, further reducing the chance of fracture. Excessive polishing, overzealous cleaning, or choosing the wrong color do not address these mechanical factors and are unlikely to prevent fracture.