Paul F Gregory
University of Leeds School of Dentistry, United Kingdom
Title: Fixed & removable prosthodontics in the rehabilitation of the worn and/ or depleted dentition
Biography
Biography: Paul F Gregory
Abstract
Demographic surveys of post-industrial societies show a continual decline in the overall rates of edentulousness with an increased
rate of tooth retention, although tooth loss ranging from one to many teeth is still a common occurrence. The primary causes
of tooth loss are caries, periodontal disease or trauma and this tendency of gradual tooth loss increases with age. Counterpointed
against tooth loss are varying levels of tooth tissue loss due to para-functional activities (bruxism), abrasion, attrition and/or erosion
coupled to differential levels of tooth over-eruption, tilting and/or dento-alveolar compensation. Osseo-integrated implants may be
seen as a gold standard treatment for the rehabilitation of missing teeth but their costs, need for surgical intervention and on-going
maintenance requirements to minimize peri-implant disease can preclude this treatment option from many of our patients. It is here
that conventional and particularly adhesively retained fixed partial dentures (bridges), possibly in combination with removable partial
dentures and adhesive restorations still provides valuable treatment options for our patients with worn and/or depleted dentitions.
The use of the re-organization approach to the worn and/or depleted dentition will be compared and contrasted against the use of
the confirmative approach. Clinical examples will be used to highlight techniques and taken from clinical practice, under-graduate &
post-graduate clinical teaching. The research evidence will be presented as the underpinning foundations for a methodical approach
to the clinical management & importantly the biological costs of the different treatment options for each of the prosthodontic options
chosen in replacing missing teeth.