Influence of the dental prosthetic status on self-perceptions of health and treatment needs : a cross-sectional study of middle-aged adults with chronic disease

Background: Subjective aspects of dental prosthesis need in middle-aged adults are poorly explored, especially when the population presents chronic diseases. Objectives: To investigate if the use and necessity of dental prosthesis influence the self-perceptions of health and dental treatment need in middle-aged adults with chronic diseases. Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 210 middle-aged adults. Socio-demographic aspects, dental services use, oral and general perceptions of health, dental treatment need and OIDP were assessed using a standardized questionnaire. One trained dentist evaluated the use and necessity of dental prosthesis. Data were analyzed using Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression ( p <0.05). Results: The use of dental prosthesis showed a proportion of 2.2:1 for upper to lower arch. Dental prosthesis need was largely prevalent (90 and 95% in upper and lower arch, respectively). The self-perceptions of dental treatment need and oral health were associated with the use and necessity of dental prosthesis ( p <0.05), which could not be observed in relation to the general self-perception. The adjusted model demonstrated that the subjective necessity of dental treatment was 16.04 (1.92-133.7) fold higher in individuals with necessity of rehabilitation in the lower arch. Besides, a positive self-perception of oral health (satisfied) was 2.59 (1.38-4.85) more expressive in individuals that used a dental prosthesis in upper arch. Conclusions: The self-perception of oral health was influenced by the use of maxillary dental prosthesis in individuals with chronic disease. Moreover, individuals were more likely able to perceive treatment need when the lower jaw was affected by tooth loss

A Technique for Duplicating a Fixed Complete Denture

The fixed implant prosthesis often requires repair due to fracture and/or wear of acrylic resin teeth. Repair of such a prosthesis, although simple, requires retaining the prosthesis to be revised in the laboratory. In order to reveneer the implant prosthesis, a provisional restoration should be fabricated for the patient that provides similar function and esthetics. This article presents a technique for duplicating the existing fixed implant-supported prosthesis prior to repair/reveneer, thus providing a smooth transition from the provisional to the definitive prosthesis

PRESLA: An original device to measure the mechanical interaction between tongue and teeth or palate during speech production

An original experimental procedure is presented to measure the mechanical interaction between tongue and teeth and palate during speech production. It consists in using edentulous people as subjects and to insert pressure sensors in the structure of a replication of their dental prosthesis. This is assumed to induce no speech production perturbation for subjects who are used to speak with their prosthesis. Data collected from 4 subjects of French demonstrate the usability of the system

Prosthetic Rehabilitation Following Lateral Resection of the Mandible with a Long Cantilever Implant-Supported Fixed Prosthesis: A 3-Year Clinical Report

This clinical report describes the prosthetic management of the surgical reconstruction of a patient after mandibular resection. Complete oral rehabilitation was achieved with a maxillary complete denture and a mandibular implant-supported fixed prosthesis with a custom titanium framework and a long unilateral cantilever

"All on short" prosthetic-implant supported rehabilitations

Objectives. Short implants are increasing their popularity among clinicians who want to fulfill the constant demanding of fixed prosthetic solutions in edentulous jaws. The aim of this report was to propose a new possibility to project and realize an occlusal guided implant cross-arch prosthesis supported by ultra-short implants, describing it presented an edentulous mandible case report. Methods. A 61-year-old, Caucasian, female patient who attended the dental clinic of the University of L’Aquila presented with edentulous posterior inferior jaw and periodontitis and periimplantitis processes in the anterior mandible. The remaining tooth and the affected implant were removed. Six 4-mm-long implants were placed to support a cross-arch metal-resin prosthesis. Results. At 1-year follow-up clinical and radiological assessment showed a good osseointegration of the fixtures and the patient was satisfied with the prosthesis solution. Conclusion. The method, even if it requires further validation, seems to be a valid aid in solving lower edentulous clinical cases, and appears less complex and with more indications of other proposals presented in the current clinical literature. Our case report differs from the current technique All-on-Four, which uses four implants in the mandible to support overdenture prosthesis, assuring a very promising clinical resul

A non-invasive device to measure mechanical interaction between tongue, palate and teeth during speech production

This paper describes an original experimental procedure to measure the mechanical interaction between the tongue and teeth and palate during speech production. It consists in using edentulous people as subjects and to insert pressure sensors in the structure of their complete dental prosthesis. Hence, there is no perturbation of the vocal tract cavity due to the sensors themselves. Several duplicates are used with transducers situated at different locations of the complete denture according to palatography's results, in order to carefully analyze the production of specific sounds such as stop consonants.. It is also possible to measure the contact pressure at different locations on the palate for the same sound

Interproximal Distance Analysis of Stereolithographic Casts Made by CAD-CAM Technology: An in Vitro Study

Statement of problem The accuracy of interproximal distances of the definitive casts made by computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology is not yet known. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the interproximal distances of stereolithographic casts made by CAD-CAM technology with those of stone casts made by the conventional method. Material and methods Dentoform teeth were prepared for a single ceramic crown on the maxillary left central incisor, a 3-unit fixed dental prosthesis (FDP) on the second premolar for a metal-ceramic crown, and a maxillary right first molar for a metal crown. Twenty digital intraoral impressions were made on the dentoform with an intraoral digital impression scanner. The digital impression files were used to fabricate 20 sets of stereolithographic casts, 10 definitive casts for the single ceramic crown, and 10 definitive casts for the FDP. Furthermore, 20 stone casts were made by the conventional method using polyvinyl siloxane impression material with a custom tray. Each definitive cast for stereolithographic cast and stone cast consisted of removable die-sectioned casts (DC) and nonsectioned solid casts (SC). Measurements of interproximal distance of each cast were made using CAD software to provide mean ±standard deviation (SD) values. Data were first analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), using different methods of cast fabrication (stone and stereolithography) as one within subject factor and different cast types (DC and SC) as another within subject factor. Post hoc analyses were performed to investigate the differences between stone and stereolithographic casts depending upon the results from the repeated measures ANOVA (α=.05). Results Analysis of interproximal distances showed the mean ±SD value of the single ceramic crown group was 31.2 ±24.5 μm for stone casts and 261.0 ±116.1 μm for stereolithographic casts, whereas the mean ±SD value for the FDP group was 46.0 ±35.0 μm for stone casts and 292.8 ±216.6 μm for stereolithographic casts. For both the single ceramic crown and the FDP groups, there were significant differences in interproximal distances between stereolithographic casts and stone casts (P\u3c.001). In addition, the comparisons of DC with SC of stone and stereolithographic casts for the single ceramic crown and FDP groups demonstrated there was statistically significant differences among interproximal distances between DC stereolithographic casts and SC stereolithographic casts only for the FDP group (P\u3c.001). Conclusions For both the single ceramic crown and the FDP groups, the stereolithographic cast group showed significantly larger interproximal distances than the stone cast group. In terms of the comparison between DC and SC, DC stereolithographic casts for the FDP group only showed significantly larger interproximal values than those of the SC stereolithographic casts for the FDP group

Learning to Produce Speech with an Altered Vocal Tract: The Role of Auditory Feedback

Modifying the vocal tract alters a speaker’s previously learned acoustic–articulatory relationship. This study investigated the contribution of auditory feedback to the process of adapting to vocal-tract modifications. Subjects said the word /tɑs/ while wearing a dental prosthesis that extended the length of their maxillary incisor teeth. The prosthesis affected /s/ productions and the subjects were asked to learn to produce ‘‘normal’’ /s/’s. They alternately received normal auditory feedback and noise that masked their natural feedback during productions. Acoustic analysis of the speakers’ /s/ productions showed that the distribution of energy across the spectra moved toward that of normal, unperturbed production with increased experience with the prosthesis. However, the acoustic analysis did not show any significant differences in learning dependent on auditory feedback. By contrast, when naive listeners were asked to rate the quality of the speakers’ utterances, productions made when auditory feedback was available were evaluated to be closer to the subjects’ normal productions than when feedback was masked. The perceptual analysis showed that speakers were able to use auditory information to partially compensate for the vocal-tract modification. Furthermore, utterances produced during the masked conditions also improved over a session, demonstrating that the compensatory articulations were learned and available after auditory feedback was removed

Impending Total Airway Collapse Involving a Maxillary Removable Partial Denture: A Clinical Report

This article presents a rare incident of a bilateral maxillary removable partial denture as an airway foreign body. The removable partial denture and the surrounding soft tissue irritation caused partial obstruction of the airway. Impending airway collapse was avoided after successful removal of the foreign body. Removing a removable dental prostheses at night, not only to prevent soft tissue pathology but also to avoid ingestion or aspiration of the prosthesis, must be emphasized

Interproximal Distance Analysis of Stereolithographic Casts Made by CAD-CAM Technology: An in Vitro Study

Statement of problem The accuracy of interproximal distances of the definitive casts made by computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) technology is not yet known. Purpose The purpose of this in vitro study was to compare the interproximal distances of stereolithographic casts made by CAD-CAM technology with those of stone casts made by the conventional method. Material and methods Dentoform teeth were prepared for a single ceramic crown on the maxillary left central incisor, a 3-unit fixed dental prosthesis (FDP) on the second premolar for a metal-ceramic crown, and a maxillary right first molar for a metal crown. Twenty digital intraoral impressions were made on the dentoform with an intraoral digital impression scanner. The digital impression files were used to fabricate 20 sets of stereolithographic casts, 10 definitive casts for the single ceramic crown, and 10 definitive casts for the FDP. Furthermore, 20 stone casts were made by the conventional method using polyvinyl siloxane impression material with a custom tray. Each definitive cast for stereolithographic cast and stone cast consisted of removable die-sectioned casts (DC) and nonsectioned solid casts (SC). Measurements of interproximal distance of each cast were made using CAD software to provide mean ±standard deviation (SD) values. Data were first analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), using different methods of cast fabrication (stone and stereolithography) as one within subject factor and different cast types (DC and SC) as another within subject factor. Post hoc analyses were performed to investigate the differences between stone and stereolithographic casts depending upon the results from the repeated measures ANOVA (α=.05). Results Analysis of interproximal distances showed the mean ±SD value of the single ceramic crown group was 31.2 ±24.5 μm for stone casts and 261.0 ±116.1 μm for stereolithographic casts, whereas the mean ±SD value for the FDP group was 46.0 ±35.0 μm for stone casts and 292.8 ±216.6 μm for stereolithographic casts. For both the single ceramic crown and the FDP groups, there were significant differences in interproximal distances between stereolithographic casts and stone casts (P\u3c.001). In addition, the comparisons of DC with SC of stone and stereolithographic casts for the single ceramic crown and FDP groups demonstrated there was statistically significant differences among interproximal distances between DC stereolithographic casts and SC stereolithographic casts only for the FDP group (P\u3c.001). Conclusions For both the single ceramic crown and the FDP groups, the stereolithographic cast group showed significantly larger interproximal distances than the stone cast group. In terms of the comparison between DC and SC, DC stereolithographic casts for the FDP group only showed significantly larger interproximal values than those of the SC stereolithographic casts for the FDP group