ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Edentulism is a debilitating and irreversible condition. It is often accompanied by compromises in the surrounding joint's range of motion and changes in the posture of the head. The natural head position is maintained by a balanced tension between cranio-cervical bones, myofacial structures and the dental occlusion. Loss of teeth may cause changes in the head posture that may disturb the patency of the spinal cord and lead to the loss of postural balance. Therefore, this study aimed at evaluating the head posture in the edentulous subjects before and after prosthetic rehabilitation. METHODS: A total of 16 completely edentulous subjects were selected for the study. Removable complete denture prosthesis was fabricated for all the subjects. Lateral photographs were taken at different time intervals i.e., pre-rehabilitation, 30 minutes, 2 days and 30 days post-rehabilitation. The cranio-vertical angle obtained was digitally calculated using Kinovea software and the results obtained were statistically analysed. RESULTS: The paired-sample t-test and repeated measures analysis of variance showed an increase in the cranio-vertical angulation of edentulous subjects after rehabilitation, indicating a mild extension of the head. CONCLUSION: The insertion of prosthesis leads to a mild extension of the head. Hence, rehabilitation with a removable prosthesis has a positive effect on the head posture and could therefore aid in maintaining a stable head posture.
ABSTRACT
The maxillary anterior region is considered to be the esthetic zone of human dentition. Missing teeth in this area leads to severely compromised esthetics and function. Endosseous implants are a viable treatment option in this scenario, but the placement of endosteal implants requires adequate bone volume for successful osseointegration. When the morphology of the bone does not allow proper implant placement, there are various bone augmentation procedures which aid in reconstruction of the residual alveolar ridge for ideal implant placement. The mandibular parasymphysis can act as an excellent source of autogenous bone for the augmentation of alveolar ridge deficiencies. This article describes successful augmentation of the maxillary alveolar ridge using block bone autografts harvested from the mandibular symphysis along with platelet-rich fibrin. At 6 months after surgery, implant was inserted, and after a healing period of 5 months, permanent restoration was placed.
ABSTRACT
Velopharyngeal insufficiency resulting from a defect in the soft palate, acquired or congenital, causes incomplete closure of the palatopharyngeal sphincter. An individual with such a defect suffers from multiple problems in eating, speaking, breathing, as well as psychological trauma, in society. This case report describes the rehabilitation of a patient with a congenital velopharyngeal defect using a definitive speech bulb obturator and an intensive speech therapy program. The patient underwent speech therapy for a period of three months. A speech and voice assessment was conducted before and after speech therapy. A speech intelligibility test was conducted, and nasalance was measured using a nasometer. Significant improvement in speech, mastication, and velopharyngeal function was achieved after bulb reduction and speech therapy.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this in vivo study was to compare the marginal and internal gap widths of monolithic zirconia crowns fabricated by CAD/CAM technique and metal-ceramic crowns fabricated by conventional technique. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 10 participants needing a single restoration were selected. Zirconia crowns using CAD/CAM technology (Group A) (n=10) and metal-ceramic crowns (Group B) (n=10) using lost wax casting technique were fabricated for each selected tooth. The marginal and internal gaps of crowns were recorded using a replica technique with light body silicone material stabilized with a regular set putty. Each replica was sectioned buccolingually and mesiodistally and then evaluated at five pre-determined sites. The points measured were PM for marginal gap, PA for axial gap, PAO for axio-occlusal transition gap and PO and PCO for occlusal gaps using a stereomicroscope at 30× magniï¬cation. The Paired Sample (t) test was used to detect significant differences between the two groups in terms of marginal and internal fit (α= 0.05). RESULTS: The mean for the marginal gap was 77.42µm (±39.5µm) for Group A compared with 95.86µm (±55.12µm) for Group B. Mean values for internal gap was 87.24 (±21.7 µm) for Group A and 132.91 µm (± 50.63 µm) for Group B. Significant differences were observed between both the groups for marginal (p=.010) and internal (p=.000) fit. CONCLUSIONS: The CAD/CAM fabricated zirconia crowns demonstrated a better accuracy of fit when compared to metal-ceramic crowns fabricated by conventional technology. Key words:Marginal fit, Internal fit, Computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM).
