Ante's law

In dentistry, Ante's law refers to a group of proposals related to crown-to-root ratio put forth by Irwin H. Ante<ref>Lovely M. Review of Fixed Partial Dentures Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers, 2006. page 170.</ref> in a thesis paper he wrote in 1926.<ref>Ante IH. The fundamental principles of abutments. Michigan State Dental Society Bulletin 1926;8:14-23</ref>

Ante's law postulated that:

"the total periodontal membrane area of the abutment teeth must equal or exceed that of the teeth to be replaced."

Working from this premise, 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".<ref>Tylman SD, Tylman SG. Theory and Practice of Crown and Bridge Prosthodontics 4th Ed. St. Louis: CV Mosby, 1960</ref>

Because of these largely 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.

Long-term clinical trials failed to provide evidence for Ante's so called "law" and as such, it can be concluded that Ante's law with respect to teeth has been refuted.<ref>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</ref><ref>Greenstein G, Cavallaro JS. Importance of crown to root and crown to implant ratios. Dentistry Today (Course number 135, 3/1/2011)</ref>