A retrospective study of fixed dental prostheses without regular maintenance

Area of Science:

• Dental prosthodontics
• Periodontology
• Long-term clinical outcomes

Background:

• Fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) are common restorative treatments.
• Long-term survival data for FDPs without regular maintenance are limited.
• Understanding failure modes is crucial for improving prosthetic longevity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the long-term survival rate of fixed dental prostheses (FDPs).
• To identify the primary reasons for failure and complications in FDPs.
• To assess outcomes in patients who did not receive regular maintenance.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 55 patients with 69 FDPs and 142 abutment teeth was retrospectively analyzed.
• Follow-up data were collected over an average of 16.5 years.
• Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to determine survival rates; failure was defined as abutment tooth extraction or FDP removal.

Main Results:

• The abutment tooth failure rate was 10% (14/142), and the FDP failure rate was 33% (22/66).
• Periodontal disease was the most frequent cause of failure and complications, associated with a high mean plaque index (43.2%).
• The 15-year survival rate for FDPs was 74%.

Conclusions:

• Patients without regular maintenance experienced significant periodontal issues with their FDPs.
• Dental plaque accumulation is a major contributing factor to FDP failure and complications.
• Long-term success of FDPs may be compromised without consistent periodontal care.