engleski

The patients' and the therapist assessment of fixed bridges of different materials after a period of 3 years

The aim of this study was to find out patients' satisfaction with their bridges made of different materials (metal-ceramics, Au/resin, Ag-Pd/resin) after a three year period, as well as the influence of age, gender, economic status and educational level on their opinion. One hundred and twenty patients were examined at the Dental School, University of Zagreb, Croatia and they assessed their bridges - the overall quality, aesthetics, fonation, quality of chewing and their opinion about the health of the surrounding tissue on the basis of the analogue-visual scale from 1-5. The same categories were also assessed by a trained prosthodontist. The most patients were really satisfied and evaluated their bridges to be in the best category (quality, aesthetics, fonation, etc.) and therefore the results were not distributed normally, but were asymmetrical towards the biggest scores (biggest grades). The best gingival health was evaluated from the group of patients with ceramic crowns and bridges (p<0, 05) and the worst from the patients with Ag-Pd bridges. Patients with Ag-Pd bridges had the lowest level of education and were in the lowest economic class. Higher the level of education, lower the assessment of aesthetic appearance ; lower the level of education, patients had bigger number of previous crowns and bridges ; females had lower number of previous crowns and bridges than males (p<0, 01). Fonation was scored higher for the lateral than for frontal bridges. Patients assessed the health of the tissue surrounding their bridges, overall quality of fixed prosthodontic appliance and aesthetics significantly higher than the prosthodontist (p<0.01). The results point out to the difference between patients' and a therapist's opinion and to the patient's insufficient care about the gingiva around the bridge abutements.

long term study; fixed partial dentures; different materials; assessment

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