Factors influencing the clinical composite assessment of denture-supporting tissues.
OBJECTIVE
This study attempted to (1) clarify the factors influencing the clinical composite assessment of denture-supporting tissues in edentulous patients by experienced prosthodontists and (2) develop a method for quantitative assessment of supporting tissue.


METHODS
Seven three- or four-grade scales for clinical factors were used to evaluate supporting tissue in 317 complete denture patients. The general assessment of supporting tissue was conducted with a 10-point scale. The contribution of each grade of the seven factors to the general assessment level was determined by a multiple regression analysis.


RESULTS
Based on the contributions of the seven factors, a method for quantitative assessment of supporting tissue was established, category scores for these factors were calculated, and the sums of the category scores were converted to an integer between 0 and 100. The resulting quantification score was closely correlated with the general assessment of the supporting tissue by experienced prosthodontists.


CONCLUSIONS
The factors influencing the clinical composite assessment of denture-supporting tissues in edentulous patients by experienced prosthodontists were clarified. The quantitative assessment method developed in this study is simple and might be used for preoperative diagnosis and treatment planning.
Sato
Yuuji
Y
Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Hiroshima University, Kasumi 1-2-3, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8553, Japan. sato@hiroshima-u.ac.jp
Tsuga
Kazuhiro
K
Yoshida
Mitsuyoshi
M
Kubo
Takayasu
T
D000368:Aged; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003824:Denture, Complete; D003945:Diagnosis, Oral / Q000379:methods*; D004548:Elasticity; D005260:Female; D005881:Gingiva / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D010808:Physical Examination; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results