Do patients have a preference for major connector designs?

The aim of this research was to evaluate patients' preferences for resin analogs of four major connector designs formulated to have equal rigidity once fabricated in the same alloy. Nineteen Kennedy Class I or II partially edentulous patients participated at two centers. The four major connector analogs (MCAs) were fabricated for each subject using light-polymerizing acrylic resin. The subjects were asked to wear each of them in the mouth for 30 seconds in six pairs in random order, and to report their preference for each pair. Based on these data, the four analogs were ranked in a descending preference order for each patient. Within-subject comparisons preferences were performed with the Friedman test, and the multiple comparisons were performed with the Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test for data of each sample independently. Statistically significant and consistent preference orders were revealed for both samples, and the thin and wide design was significantly preferred to the thick and narrow design. However, a higher variation was observed for the first preference of each subject. Subjects demonstrated a tendency to prefer thinner MCAs. However, the individual predilections of patients may not be an appropriate basis for an attempt to find a 'best design' applicable to all patients.