Ante's Law - Revisiting the Periodontal and Prosthodontic Concepts

Fixed partial denture has become the treatment of choice in conditions which showed absolute or relative contraindications for other prosthetic options. Though there are evidences that shows mean incidence of success of FPDs, there are also various failures associated with it. The common failures include loss of retention, fracture of abutment, fracture of bridgework and including the periodontal complications. According to Ante's law "the root surface area of the abutment teeth has to be equal or surpass that of teeth being replaced with pontic". Hence as a prerequisite for the selection of abutment tooth, it should have a healthy supporting tissue surrounding it and should be devoid of inflammation. Nyman et al documented good long range survival of periodontally compromised abutment teeth that had undergone long term follow-up of perio-prosthetic treatment.