ELEVEN YEAR SURVIVAL OF BRIDGES PLACED IN THE GENERAL DENTAL SERVICES IN ENGLAND AND WALES
Patients are always asking this question, so now here is the latest research to answer the question. MJ
Aim
It is the
aim of this paper to consider the factors associated with the need for
re-intervention on a conventional or resin-retained bridge, excluding
recementation.
Methods
A
data set was established consisting of patients, eighteen years or
older, whose birthdays were included within a set of randomly selected
dates, one of which was chosen in each possible year of birth and whose
restoration records contained the placement of one or more indirect
restorations on courses of treatment with last date on the claim form
after 31st December 1990, and with date of acceptance after
September 1990 and before January 2002. For each patient treated with a
bridge, the subsequent history of intervention on each tooth used as a
bridge abutment was consulted, and the next date of intervention, if any
could be found in the extended data set, was obtained. Thus a data set
was created of bridge abutments which have been placed, with their dates
of placement and their dates, if any, of re-intervention.
Results
Data
for over 80,000 different adult patients were analysed, of whom 46%
were male and 54% female. A total of 7,874 abutments (6,800 conventional
and 1,074 resin-retained) were obtained from the data over a period of
eleven years.
Factors which were found to reduce
outcome of bridges included type of bridge, patient payment exemption
status, patient attendance pattern and position of the bridge in the
patient's mouth.
Conclusions
Survival
of conventional bridge abutments has been shown to be 72% at 10 years,
this being similar survival time to crowns. Various patient factors and
bridge type were also found to influence survival.
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