engleski

Are the years of training and clinical experience helpful in assessment of tooth shape in selection of artificial teeth?

Objectives: To evaluate the efficiency of upper central incisor tooth shape assessment of well trained general dentists and specialist of prosthodontic and to compare the results to those of dental students and general population. Methods: Dental digital images of 300 subjects (145 female ; 18 to 69 years old) with intact anterior teeth and no visible pathology in surrounding soft tissues were cropped so only the teeth and vermillion borders remained. Concerning the shape of the upper central incisor, square shape was in 46, 59%, oval in 26, 69% and triangular in 26, 69% of the patients. Evaluators were selected based on their familiarity to different theories for artificial teeth selection (10 specialists of prosthodontists, 6 general dental practitioners, 10 dental students, 9 lay people) to define shape of the subjects’ upper central incisor for each photograph. The collected answers of each evaluator were compared to a spreadsheet containing correct information on tooth shape Results: The percentage of false answers (errors) was similar in all four groups of evaluators (Fig 2) without significant differences (F=0.32, P=0.81 NS). Conclusion: The results of this study show that application of different methods in selection of artificial teeth in clinical practice is not helpful. However, further research is necessary to see how the artificial teeth selection could be improved through the dental education. The data obtained in this study could be also useful in prosthodontic reconstructive treatment procedures demonstrating the errors we make.

maxilla ; central incisor ; tooth shape ; artificial teeth ; selection

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