title: Evaluation of survival of 3 different fixed space maintainers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to provide a comparative evaluation of the survival times and failure rates of different types of fixed space maintainers (SMs).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 30 4- to 10-year-olds were selected for the study. Children were divided into 3 groups, according to type of SM, namely: band and loop (B&L), direct bonded (DB), and fiber-reinforced composite (FRC). Patients were recalled once every 3 months for clinical evaluation for 1 year or until failure. The survival times of SMs were estimated by means of the Kaplan-Meier method, and confounding factors were investigated using Cox regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean survival time was highest for B&L SMs (11.20 months), followed by DB SMs (9.20 months) and FRC SMs (6.70 months). There were statistically significant differences noted between types of SMs (log rank=11.99; P=.002). The Cox proportional hazards model revealed that age, sex, dental arch, and side of the jaw were not significantly correlated with "success of SMs" (P>.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Band and loop fixed space maintainers showed superior performance in terms of both survival time and success rates versus direct bonded and fiber-reinforced composite space maintainers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey. sentunc@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Emine Sen
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Tunc
authors.forename: Sule
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bayrak
authors.forename: Nuray
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tuloglu
authors.forename: Turkan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Egilmez
authors.forename: Devrim
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Isci
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013027:Space Maintenance, Orthodontic / Q000295:instrumentation*