Cross-sectional study of patients fitted with fixed partial dentures with special reference to the caries situation

The caries situation among 30 patients with fixed partial dentures was examined 3 yr after cementation of the constructions. The fit of the crowns on the abutment teeth, the size of the interproximal areas and the relation between the crown margin and the gingival margin were registered. Risk factors for caries development, such as salivary factors, microbiologic factors, oral hygiene and diet were evaluated for each patient. During the 3-yr period 54 caries lesions occurred in 25 patients. Eleven lesions were found on abutment teeth. Two were located on the root surfaces unconnected with the crown margin (greater than 2mm from the gingival margin), three were recurrent lesions, where the crown margin was located above the gingival margin but closer than 2 mm and six were recurrent lesions where the crown margin was located under the gingival margin. No single caries risk factor seemed to be so closely correlated to the number of caries lesions developed that it could be used alone to select of patients at risk. When the sum of the assumed negative factors was used, more caries was found among the patients with three or more factors with negative values in the group as a whole. However, predicting the development of caries in an individual case with a high degree of probability seems to be complicated. Generally speaking there was no indication that caries disease development was caused by the presence of the fixed partial denture per se.