Ante's law explained

In dentistry, Ante's law is a postulate about crown-to-root ratio put forth by Irwin H. Ante^[1] in a thesis paper he wrote in 1926.^[2]

Ante's law states that "the total periodontal membrane area of the abutment teeth must equal or exceed that of the teeth to be replaced."

Later claims were made that "the length of the periodontal membrane attachment of the abutment tooth should be at least one half to two thirds of that of its normal root attachment".^[3]

Because of these unsubstantiated, empirical concepts, many teeth were subsequently excluded from suitability as an abutment for fixed partial dentures and double abutments became a popular means of complying with Ante's law.

Ante's law has not been confirmed by long-term clinical trials.^{[4] [5]}

Notes and References

1. Lovely M. Review of Fixed Partial Dentures Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, 2006. page 170.
2. Ante IH. The fundamental principles of abutments. Michigan State Dental Society Bulletin 1926;8:14-23
3. Tylman SD, Tylman SG. Theory and Practice of Crown and Bridge Prosthodontics 4th Ed. St. Louis: CV Mosby, 1960
4. Lulic M, Brägger U, Lang NP, et al. Ante’s (1926) law revisited: a systematic review on survival rates and complications of fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) on severely reduced periodontal tissue support. Clin Oral Implants Res 2007;18(suppl 3):63-72
5. Greenstein G, Cavallaro JS. Importance of crown to root and crown to implant ratios. Dentistry Today (Course number 135, 3/1/2011)