Chair-side procedure for connecting transpalatal arches with palatal implants.
The present investigation examined a chair-side procedure for connecting a transpalatal arch (TPA) with palatal implants, which does not involve any laboratory work. This new technique was compared with the standard procedure in terms of the number of steps, the time required, and the cost. The total chair-side time needed with the standard procedure was 38 minutes, with the material costs amounting to [symbol: see text] 159.6. With the chair-side procedure the total time required was 55 minutes, and the cost of the material totalled [symbol: see text] 34.1. The chair-side procedure was derived from orthodontic treatment concepts and is independent of laboratory input. Its major advantage is that it does not require transfers, which necessitate additional steps. These steps, which are inevitable with the standard procedure, resulted in an unexpectedly high cost level and increased the total cost. The difference in the cost of the material between the two procedures amounted to [symbol: see text] 125.5 and timewise the difference was 17 minutes. Whilst TPA-implant connections can be made with both the standard and chair-side procedures, the standard procedure, although taking considerably less chair-side time, was four times more expensive than the chair-side procedure.
Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Vienna, Austria.
Adriano Giacomo
AG
Crismani
Thomas
T
Bernhart
Christiane
C
Baier
Hans-Peter
HP
Bantleon
Gerhard
G
Kucher
D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D015921:Dental Implants; D006801:Humans; D016382:Orthodontic Appliance Design; D010155:Palatal Expansion Technique / Q000191:economics* / Q000295:instrumentation*; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000601:surgery; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems / Q000191:economics*; D013996:Time and Motion Studies
D015921:Dental Implants