Ten-year survival rates of teeth adjacent to treated and untreated posterior bounded edentulous spaces.
BACKGROUND
Failure to replace a single missing posterior tooth may lead to a variety of dental problems, which may ultimately result in tooth loss. However, little is known about the fate of the adjacent teeth if a missing posterior tooth is not replaced.


OBJECTIVE
This retrospective study evaluated the survival of teeth adjacent to treated and untreated posterior bounded edentulous spaces.


METHODS
Data were obtained from electronic treatment records from the Kaiser Permanente Dental Care Program, Portland, Ore. A final sample of 317 patients who met the study inclusion criteria was identified. Each bounded edentulous space was placed in 1 of 3 treatment categories: untreated, restored with a fixed partial denture, or restored with a removable partial denture. Subsequent treatment and the status of the teeth adjacent to the bounded edentulous space were followed through December 1999. Ten-year Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were generated for each treatment group, and differences in survival were evaluated with the log-rank chi-square test (alpha=.05).


RESULTS
There was a significant difference in survival among the 3 treatment categories (P=.005). Spaces restored with a fixed partial denture had longer 10-year survival estimates (92%) than those that remained untreated (81%). Spaces restored with a removable partial denture had the poorest 10-year survival rate (56%).


CONCLUSIONS
Under the conditions and selection bias associated with this retrospective study, the survival of teeth adjacent to a single posterior edentulous space was negatively associated with removable partial denture placement compared with no treatment or the use of a fixed partial denture.
Aquilino
S A
SA
College of Dentistry, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, 52242-1001 USA. steven-aquilino@uiowa.edu
Shugars
D A
DA
Bader
J D
JD
White
B A
BA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000502:physiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D000044:Dental Abutments; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007576:Jaw, Edentulous, Partially / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008963:Molar / Q000502:physiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019553:Tooth, Nonvital / Q000503:physiopathology