D. Veleski, M. Antanasova, Daniela Veleska-Stevkovska
With the development of dentistry, the design of the partial dentures is constantly improving, allowing application of more sophisticated retention systems. Nowadays there are hundreds of dental attachments from different manufacturers, so the decision about which type of attachment is most suitable for each particular case represents a challenge for the therapist. The purpose of this paper is to review the advantages and disadvantages of extra-coronal frictional-attachments with plastic matrices and to present a critical review for this kind of retention elements, based upon our clinical experience with them and numerous literary data. In our material we used two types of extra-coronal frictional-attachments with plastic matrices: the AcryLock attachments and the Vario-Soft 3 attachments. The results confirm that AcryLock and Vario-Soft 3 represent similar systems. They provide satisfactory retention, with an option for dosed retention according to the needs of each case individually (through the use of different plastic matrices). The attachments with plastic parts, though not an innovation on a global level, however, receive a greater actuality due to their longevity, economic viability and opportunity for easy and simple maintenance – with the replacement of the plastic part of the attachment. They enable production of high quality and durable prosthetic solutions applicable to a wide range of situations.