Telescopic prostheses for implants.

This retrospective study investigated the outcome of 73 telescopic implant-supported fixed prostheses. Fifty-four prostheses were entirely cement-retained, and 19 incorporated a screw-clamping unit. The rate of complications was low and in most cases minor in nature. Cement-retained prostheses involving a distal cantilevered extension required the greatest postoperative maintenance. Despite the small number of combined screw- and cement-retained prostheses, the lack of complications and ease of retrievability make this approach worthy of further study.

The DIA anatomic abutment system and telescopic prostheses: a clinical report.

Implant-supported prostheses may benefit from the versatility of design and favorable appearance offered by telescopic restorations. This project investigated the effectiveness of 208 abutments designed and produced by Dental Imaging Associates and the 73 prostheses supported by them over a 2-year period. No complications were found in the single-tooth group, although the sample was small (n = 7). Only 8.17% of the 208 abutment screws became loose during the initial postloading period. Once retightened, 2.4% of the total loosened for the second time. Higher screw-loosening rates were found in maxillary restorations, while the inclusion of a distal cantilevered pontic produced a significant increase in maintenance requirements.

Occlusal variables, bruxism and temporomandibular disorders: a clinical and kinesiographic assessment.

Seventy-five patients suffering from myofascial pain, headaches and anterior disc displacement were assessed clinically and with a kinesiograph. Twenty-eight asymptomatic dental staff served as a control group. The prevalence of awareness of bruxism was significantly greater in our TMD patients than the controls. Bruxism patients recorded a higher prevalence of incisor dentine wear suggestive of a forward mandible posture. Class II, Division 1 malocclusions formed a significantly higher proportion of the TMD patient group than the controls. Kinesiographic recordings showed that the vertical and lateral components of movement from postural position to intercuspal were significantly greater in the patient group.

Treatment outcomes in implant therapy: the influence of surgical and prosthodontic experience.

In this retrospective study reviewing 30 months of treatment, 53 partially or completely edentulous patients were provided with implant-supported restorations. The restorative aspects of the therapy were undertaken by an experienced prosthodontist who had just begun involvement with implant rehabilitation techniques. Patients were treated in two centres, 21 in a major teaching institution (Group A) and 32 in a private practice (Group B). In Group A, the implants were placed by experienced oral and maxillofacial surgeons just beginning involvement in implant techniques. The implants of the Group B patients were placed by surgeons with a minimum of 2 years implant experience. It appeared that the surgeon's experience had a major impact on the failure probability of unloaded implants. Loading conditions and the design of the prosthesis may be the decisive determinants for the probability of success with loaded implants. The hazards of extensive cantilevered extensions were demonstrated. The results suggest that those entering implant prosthodontics should not expect their early work to match the results obtained from established centres.

A controlled clinical, electromyographic, and kinesiographic assessment of craniomandibular disorders in women.

Clinical, electromyographic, and kinesiographic methods were used to evaluate 35 female patients presenting with craniomandibular disorders. Twenty-six similarly aged, symptom-free women served as controls. Clinical assessments showed that the patients demonstrated a higher prevalence of bruxism than did the controls. Electromyographic results suggested that the rest activity of patients' elevators was significantly greater than that of the controls. Kinesiographic measurements showed that the patient group demonstrated greater vertical and anterior posterior movements from rest to centric occlusion than did the control group, and both the average and maximum opening velocities were smaller in patients than in controls.

Kinesiographic and electromyographic assessment of the effects of occlusal adjustment therapy on craniomandibular disorders by a double-blind method.

Fifty-one patients with craniomandibular disorders were divided into two groups. One group underwent mock occlusal adjustment, the other was treated with adjustments to remove significant slides and nonworking-side interferences. Both groups received identical counseling. Kinesiographic and electromyographic assessment showed no significant difference between the two groups.

Occlusal adjustment therapy for craniomandibular disorders: a clinical assessment by a double-blind method.

Fifty-one patients with craniomandibular disorders were divided in two groups. One group underwent mock occlusal adjustment, the other was treated with adjustments to remove significant slides and non-working side interferences. Both groups received identical counseling. The results show that there was no significant difference in the improvements on the signs and symptoms obtained by real or mock adjustments after the first treatment session.

A laboratory assessment of recording reliability and analysis of the K6 Diagnostic System.

This laboratory study investigated the recording reliability and analysis of the K6 Diagnostic System, a computerized instrument that records mandibular movements in three planes. Two special devices were utilized for this purpose, one commercially available and the other designed and constructed by the authors. These devices could produce linear movements and simulate head and mandibular movements, respectively. The largest distortion of the simulated mandibular movements was found in the frontal plane tracings of simulated chewing patterns. For the linear movements in an x-axis, the error of the analyzed K6 system ranged from 9.4% to 30% and in a z-axis from 0% to 15%. A considerable degree of head movement was required to produce a significant error on the K6 measurements.

Effect of the major connector on abutment tooth and denture base movement: an in vitro study.

This in vitro study investigated the effect of the major connector on distal abutment tooth and denture base movements when loads were applied to a partial denture with extracoronal attachments. A brass mechanism was constructed for load application, and the abutment and base movements were measured in three planes using a kinesiograph. It was determined that cutting the major connector affected the degree of abutment tooth movement but not the direction. After cutting the major connector, the base movement increased in all three planes with the different forces applied. The direction of the base movement changes only in the buccolingual plane.

Abutment teeth with extracoronal attachments: the effects of splinting on tooth movement.

This in vitro study investigated the effects of splinting on abutment tooth movement when loads were applied to a removable partial denture framework with extracoronal attachments. The abutment tooth movements occurring in the vertical, frontal, and sagittal planes were measured with a kinesiograph modified for the purpose. It was demonstrated that splinting abutment teeth resulted in a significant decrease in the mesiodistal and buccolingual movements of the distal abutment under vertically applied loads. The direction of the abutment tooth movement was related to the type of loading and was unaffected by splinting. Bilateral loading produced significantly less movement of the single abutment tooth mesiodistally and buccolingually than unilateral loading.

[General diseases and dysfunction of the stomatognathic system]. / Genikes patheseis kai dysleitourgia tou stomatognathikou systematos. (Anaphora se dyo periptoseis).

There are two cases of general diseases [progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) and nasopharyngeal cancer], which assumes with dysfunction of the stomatognathic system. The authors which are aware of all above made an extensive reference of the details of these diseases and in relation with the dysfunction of the stomatognathic system. The conclusion of this paper is the important role of clinical consideration for the differential diagnosis of similar cases.