Clinical performance of cantilevered fixed dental prostheses abutments in the shortened dental arch.

OBJECTIVES

This article is part of a randomized clinical trial on different treatments in the shortened dental arch (SDA). It focused on the abutment tooth prognosis with cantilevered fixed dental prostheses (CFDPs).

METHODS

Sixty-two patients with a bilaterally SDA up to the first or second premolar in the mandible or maxilla were evaluated. In 57 of 124 quadrants, second premolars were replaced by a CFDP (cantilever group). In the remaining 67 quadrants, a natural second premolar was present and thus no need for a CFDP was given (non-cantilever group). Patients were recalled annually up to 5 years.

RESULTS

The mean observation period was 56.3 months (min. 3.0, max. 76.2, SD 16.1). Kaplan-Meier survival rates concerning tooth loss and tooth fracture were 93.9%/94.0% in the cantilever group and 91.9%/92.8% in the non-cantilever group. Differences between both groups were not significant. The survival rate concerning loss of retention of CFDP retainers was 92.1% in the cantilever group.

CONCLUSION

After 5 years of clinical service, CFDPs for the replacement of the second premolar showed no negative impact on the abutment tooth prognosis.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Cantilevered fixed dental prostheses present a viable treatment option in the shortened dental arch without compromising the medium-term abutment tooth prognosis.