Resin-bonded cantilever partial dentures are effective in terms of patient satisfaction in the restoration of the mandibular shortened dental arch.
METHODS
The study sample was derived from dental hospital patients awaiting the provision of a mandibular bilateral free-end removable partial denture (RPD). Inclusion criteria included the following: (1) maximum of 8 remaining mandibular teeth; (2) 1 to 2 anterior teeth spaces allowed, provided they were restorable using resin-bonded fixed partial dentures (FPDs); and (3) plaque score of 20% or less. Exclusion criteria were the following: (1) presence of maxillary molars; (2) maxillary tooth or teeth that would be unopposed by a proposed mandibular prosthesis; and (3) medical condition that precluded active treatment or prescribed diet. Before randomization, all potentially eligible participants had received a preparatory treatment including oral hygiene and restorative and periodontal treatment, if necessary. Sixty participants (25 men and 35 women;median age 67 years; range 39-81 years) were enrolled in the study and randomly allocated into 2 treatment groups (n = 30 per group) matched for age and sex. The dates of the recruitment to the study were not given, but all new prostheses were constructed and fitted between June 1995 and July 1997.


METHODS
The primary treatment of interest was the distal cantilever resin-bonded FPDs. The control treatment was RPDs. Cantilever resin-bonded FPDs restored 1 occlusal unit, up to but not beyond the second premolar, using single pontic cantilevers from a single abutment whenever possible.


METHODS
Patient satisfaction was assessed using self-administrated questionnaires, piloted for this study, at baseline, 3 months, and 1 year after the provision of the new prostheses. A lower median satisfaction score indicated a higher level of satisfaction. These questionnaires included items about overall satisfaction with teeth, appearance of teeth, ability to chew, and bite and level of satisfaction, as well as comfort with the prosthesis.


RESULTS
The mandibular shortened dental arches opposed a complete maxillary denture in 51 participants, opposed partial maxillary dentures in 7 participants, and opposed natural maxillary teeth in only 2 participants. Fifty-two patients attended the 3-month and 1-year follow-up assessments. There were no differences in the baseline satisfaction of the 2 treatment groups. The within-group changes in summary satisfaction scores indicated significantly higher satisfaction for both treatment groups from baseline (median FPD = 17.5, RPD = 16.5) to the 3-month (median FPD = 13.5, RPD = 13.0) and 1-year follow-up assessments (median FPD = 11.0, median RPD = 13.0). No between-group differences were detected (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, P < .05). Improvements in levels of general satisfaction with teeth (P = .05) and the appearance of teeth (P = .12) were significant only for the FPD group. Significant improvements in perceived masticatory ability and perceived levels of comfort were found in both groups (P < or = .05).


CONCLUSIONS
The authors concluded that resin-bonded cantilever FPDs are an effective means of restoring a mandibular shortened dental arch in terms of patient comfort and acceptance compared to treatments with RPDs.
Emami
Elham
E
Oral Health and Rehabilitation Research Unit, Faculté de médecine dentaire, Université de Montréal, C.P.6128, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C3J7, Canada.
Feine
Jocelyne S
JS