Subscribe to RSS
![](/products/assets/desktop/img/oa-logo.png)
DOI: 10.4103/1305-7456.156802
A study of dentists’ preferences for the restoration of shortened dental arches with partial dentures
Publication History
Publication Date:
04 September 2019 (online)
![](https://www.thieme-connect.de/media/10.1055-s-00042133/201502/lookinside/thumbnails/10-4103-1305-7456-156802_00183-1.jpg)
ABSTRACT
Objective: This study aimed to use a utility method in order to assess dentists’ preferences for the restoration of shortened dental arches (SDAs) with partial dentures. Also, the impact of patient age and length of the SDA on dentists’ preferences for the partial dentures was investigated. Materials and Methods: Totally, 104 subjects holding a basic degree in dentistry and working as staff members in a private dental college in Saudi Arabia were interviewed and presented with 12 scenarios for patients of different ages and mandibular SDAs of varying length. Participants were asked to indicate on a standardized visual analog scale how they would value the health of the patient's mouth if the mandibular SDAs were restored with cobalt-chromium removable partial dentures (RPDs). Results: With a utility value of 0.0 representing the worst possible health state for a mouth and 1.0 representing the best, dentists’ average utility value of the RPD for the SDAs was 0.49 (sd= 0.15). Mean utility scores of the RPDs across the 12 SDA scenarios ranged between 0.35 and 0.61. RPDs that restored the extremely SDAs attracted the highest utility values and dentists’ utility of the RPD significantly increased with the increase in the number of missing posterior teeth. No significant differences in dentists’ mean utility values for the RPD were identified among SDA scenarios for patients of different ages. Conclusion: Restoration of the mandibular SDAs by RPDs is not a highly preferred treatment option among the surveyed group of dentists. Length of the SDA affects dentists’ preferences for the RPD, but patient age does not.
-
REFERENCES
- 1 Kleinman ER, Harper PR, Gallagher JE. Trends in NHS primary dental care for older people in England: Implications for the future. Gerodontology 2009; 26: 193-201
- 2 White DA, Tsakos G, Pitts NB, Fuller E, Douglas GV, Murray JJ. et al. Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: Common oral health conditions and their impact on the population. Br Dent J 2012; 213: 567-72
- 3 Watt RG, Steele JG, Treasure ET, White DA, Pitts NB, Murray JJ. Adult Dental Health Survey 2009: Implications of findings for clinical practice and oral health policy. Br Dent J 2013; 214: 71-5
- 4 Kayser AF. Shortened dental arch: A therapeutic concept in reduced dentitions and certain high-risk groups. Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent 1989; 9: 426-49
- 5 Halse A, Molven O, Riordan PJ. Number of teeth and tooth loss of former dental school patients. Follow-up study after 10-17 years. Acta Odontol Scand 1985; 43: 25-9
- 6 Battistuzzi P, Käyser A, Peer P. Tooth loss and remaining occlusion in a Dutch population. J Oral Rehabil 1987; 14: 541-7
- 7 Demirbuga S, Tuncay O, Cantekin K, Cayabatmaz M, Dincer AN, Kilinc HI. et al. Frequency and distribution of early tooth loss and endodontic treatment needs of permanent first molars in a Turkish pediatric population. Eur J Dent 2013; 7 (Suppl. 01) S99-104
- 8 Käyser AF. Shortened dental arches and oral function. J Oral Rehabil 1981; 8: 457-62
- 9 Devlin H. Replacement of missing molar teeth – A prosthodontic dilemma. Br Dent J 1994; 176: 31-3
- 10 Nassani MZ, Devlin H, Tarakji B, McCord JF. A survey of dentists’ practice in the restoration of the shortened dental arch. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal 2010; 15: e85-9
- 11 Käyser AF, Witter DJ, Spanauf AJ. Overtreatment with removable partial dentures in shortened dental arches. Aust Dent J 1987; 32: 178-82
- 12 Witter DJ, van Elteren P, Käyser AF, van Rossum MJ. The effect of removable partial dentures on the oral function in shortened dental arches. J Oral Rehabil 1989; 16: 27-33
- 13 Witter DJ, Van Elteren P, Käyser AF, Van Rossum GM. Oral comfort in shortened dental arches. J Oral Rehabil 1990; 17: 137-43
- 14 Witter DJ, de Haan AF, Käyser AF, van Rossum GM. A 6-year follow-up study of oral function in shortened dental arches. Part I: Occlusal stability. J Oral Rehabil 1994; 21: 113-25
- 15 Witter DJ, De Haan AF, Käyser AF, Van Rossum GM. A 6-year follow-up study of oral function in shortened dental arches. Part II: Craniomandibular dysfunction and oral comfort. J Oral Rehabil 1994; 21: 353-66
- 16 Armellini DB, Heydecke G, Witter DJ, Creugers NH. Effect of removable partial dentures on oral health-related quality of life in subjects with shortened dental arches: A 2-center cross-sectional study. Int J Prosthodont 2008; 21: 524-30
- 17 Aras K, Hasanreisoglu U, Shinogaya T. Masticatory performance, maximum occlusal force, and occlusal contact area in patients with bilaterally missing molars and distal extension removable partial dentures. Int J Prosthodont 2009; 22: 204-9
- 18 Nassani MZ, Tarakji B, Baroudi K, Sakka S. Reappraisal of the removable partial denture as a treatment option for the shortened dental arch. Eur J Dent 2013; 7: 251-6
- 19 Kanno T, Carlsson GE. A review of the shortened dental arch concept focusing on the work by the Käyser/Nijmegen group. J Oral Rehabil 2006; 33: 850-62
- 20 Wolfart S, Marré B, Wöstmann B, Kern M, Mundt T, Luthardt RG. et al. The randomized shortened dental arch study: 5-year maintenance. J Dent Res 2012; 91 (07) Suppl: 65S-71
- 21 McKenna G, Allen PF, O'Mahony D, Flynn A, Cronin M, DaMata C. et al. Comparison of functionally orientated tooth replacement and removable partial dentures on the nutritional status of partially dentate older patients: a randomised controlled clinical trial. J Dent 2014; 42: 653-9
- 22 Jepson NJ, Moynihan PJ, Kelly PJ, Watson GW, Thomason JM. Caries incidence following restoration of shortened lower dental arches in a randomized controlled trial. Br Dent J 2001; 191: 140-4
- 23 Jepson N, Allen F, Moynihan P, Kelly P, Thomason M. Patient satisfaction following restoration of shortened mandibular dental arches in a randomized controlled trial. Int J Prosthodont 2003; 16: 409-14
- 24 Rohlin M, Mileman PA. Decision analysis in dentistry – The last 30 years. J Dent 2000; 28: 453-68
- 25 Torrance GW. Measurement of health state utilities for economic appraisal. J Health Econ 1986; 5: 1-30
- 26 O'Brien B, Viramontes JL. Willingness to pay: A valid and reliable measure of health state preference?. Med Decis Making 1994; 14: 289-97
- 27 Froberg DG, Kane RL. Methodology for measuring health-state preferences – II: Scaling methods. J Clin Epidemiol 1989; 42: 459-71
- 28 Matthews DC, Gafni A, Birch S. Preference based measurements in dentistry: A review of the literature and recommendations for research. Community Dent Health 1999; 16: 5-11
- 29 Petitti DB. Meta-Analysis, Decision Analysis, and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. Methods for Quantitative Synthesis in Medicine. 2nd ed.. New York: Oxford University Press; 2000: 169-11
- 30 Torrance GW. Utility approach to measuring health-related quality of life. J Chronic Dis 1987; 40: 593-603
- 31 Fyffe HE, Kay EJ. Assessment of dental health state utilities. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1992; 20: 269-73
- 32 Brickley M, Armstrong R, Shepherd J, Kay E. The relevance of health state utilities to lower third molar surgery. Int Dent J 1995; 45: 124-8
- 33 Cunningham SJ, Hunt NP. A comparison of health state utilities for dentofacial deformity as derived from patients and members of the general public. Eur J Orthod 2000; 22: 335-42
- 34 Nassani MZ, Devlin H, McCord JF, Kay EJ. The shortened dental arch – An assessment of patients’ dental health state utility values. Int Dent J 2005; 55: 307-12
- 35 Nassani MZ, Locker D, Elmesallati AA, Devlin H, Mohammadi TM, Hajizamani A. et al. Dental health state utility values associated with tooth loss in two contrasting cultures. J Oral Rehabil 2009; 36: 601-9
- 36 Ikebe K, Hazeyama T, Kagawa R, Matsuda K, Maeda Y. Subjective values of different treatments for missing molars in older Japanese. J Oral Rehabil 2010; 37: 892-9
- 37 Nassani MZ, Kay EJ. Tooth loss – An assessment of dental health state utility values. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 2011; 39: 53-60
- 38 Kay EJ, Nassani MZ, Aswad M, Abdelkader RS, Tarakji B. The disutility of tooth loss: a comparison of patient and professional values. J Public Health Dent 2014; 74: 89-92
- 39 Fyffe HE, Deery C, Nugent Z, Nuttall NM, Pitts NB. The reliability of two methods of utility assessment in dentistry. Community Dent Health 1999; 16: 72-9
- 40 Stiggelbout AM, Eijkemans MJ, Kiebert GM, Kievit J, Leer JW, De Haes HJ. The ‘utility’ of the visual analogue scale in medical decision making and technology assessment. Is it an alternative to the time trade-off?. Int J Technol Assess Health Care 1996; 12: 291-8
- 41 Ikebe K, Hazeyama T, Ogawa T, Kagawa R, Matsuda K, Wada M. et al. Subjective values of different age groups in Japan regarding treatment for missing molars. Gerodontology 2011; 28: 192-6
- 42 Arce-Tumbay J, Sanchez-Ayala A, Sotto-Maior BS, Senna PM, Campanha NH. Mastication in subjects with extremely shortened dental arches rehabilitated with removable partial dentures. Int J Prosthodont 2011; 24: 517-9
- 43 Burt BA. Epidemiology of dental diseases in the elderly. Clin Geriatr Med 1992; 8: 447-59
- 44 Masoro EJ. Physiology of aging. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2001; 11 Suppl: S218-22
- 45 Strauss RP. Culture, dental professionals and oral health values in multicultural societies: Measuring cultural factors in geriatric oral health research and education. Gerodontology 1996; 13: 82-9
- 46 Bartley EJ, Boissoneault J, Vargovich AM, Wandner LD, Hirsh AT, Lok BC. et al. The influence of health care professional characteristics on pain management decisions. Pain Med 2015; 16: 99-111