Patient satisfaction with laser-sintered removable partial dentures: A crossover pilot clinical trial

Publication date: Available online 11 July 2017
Source:The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
Author(s): Balqees Almufleh, Elham Emami, Omar Alageel, Fabiana de Melo, Francois Seng, Eric Caron, Samer Abi Nader, Ashwaq Al-Hashedi, Rubens Albuquerque, Jocelyne Feine, Faleh Tamimi
Statement of problemClinical data regarding newly introduced laser-sintered removable partial dentures (RPDs) are needed before this technique can be recommended. Currently, only a few clinical reports have been published, with no clinical studies.PurposeThis clinical trial compared short-term satisfaction in patients wearing RPDs fabricated with conventional or computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) laser-sintering technology.Material and methodsTwelve participants with partial edentulism were enrolled in this pilot crossover double-blinded clinical trial. Participants were randomly assigned to wear cast or CAD-CAM laser-sintered RPDs for alternate periods of 30 days. The outcome of interest was patient satisfaction as measured using the McGill Denture Satisfaction Instrument. Assessments was conducted at 1, 2, and 4 weeks. The participant's preference in regard to the type of prosthesis was assessed at the final evaluation. The linear mixed effects regression models for repeated measures were used to analyze the data, using the intention-to-treat principle. To assess the robustness of potential, incomplete adherence, sensitivity analyses were conducted.ResultsStatistically significant differences were found in patients' satisfaction between the 2 methods of RPD fabrication. Participants were significantly more satisfied with laser-sintered prostheses than cast prostheses in regard to general satisfaction, ability to speak, ability to clean, comfort, ability to masticate, masticatory efficiency, and oral condition (P<.05). At the end of the study, 5 participants preferred the laser-sintered, 1 preferred the cast RPD, and 3 had no preference.ConclusionsThe use of CAD-CAM laser-sintering technology in the fabrication of removable partial dentures may lead to better outcomes in terms of patient satisfaction in the short term. The conclusion from this pilot study requires confirmation by a larger randomized controlled trial.ClinicalTrials.gov. A Study About Patient Satisfaction With Laser-sintered Removable Partial Dentures; NCT02769715.



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