Carving of a master cast to obtain a posterior palatal seal of a complete maxillary denture as performed by four prosthodontists: a pilot study.

This study was conducted to clarify the degree to which a master cast needs to be carved to obtain a posterior palatal seal according to Swenson, based on a comparison among four dental practitioners. Sections of the casts with the seal scraped were made, and an optical microscope was used to measure the sagittal and vertical dimensions. It was found that the sagittal dimension may show a smaller difference in carving of the master cast in the posterior palatal seal area. The present results also suggest that the clinical experience of the prosthodontist in applying this method seems to have an effect on the carved shape and depth of the posterior palatal seal.