[Interproximal tooth cleansing of abutment teeth and pontic design]

This clinical study was an attempt to find out if a patient's home care plaque control at his or her abutment tooth is more effectively enhanced by a modified ridge lap or a hygienic pontic design. Oral hygiene was performed either with a tooth brush alone or in combination with an interdental brush. We found that the effectivity of interproximal toothcleaning was not influenced by the pontic design and that only interdental brushes permit a good plaque control at the proximal area of the abutment tooth. This implies that "self cleansing" is non-existent in these tooth areas.