Faculty Bibliography

Treatment with fixed and removable partial dentures has been the traditional method of addressing the replacement of teeth competencies in dental education. However, by 2013 the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standards will mandate a competency in "replacement of teeth including fixed, removable, and dental implants." In 2005, New York University College of Dentistry implemented a comprehensive implant program for predoctoral dental students. One of the outcome assessments of this program was to determine the level of patient satisfaction. Therefore, a patient satisfaction survey (n=103) assessed the use of implant treatment for the restoration of partially edentulous patients, measuring such dimensions of satisfaction as function, comfort, and esthetics. The results revealed that 96 percent of the patients surveyed were satisfied with their ability to chew, 91 percent were satisfied with the comfort of their restoration, and 86 percent were satisfied with the appearance of their restoration. Additionally, 90 percent of the surveyed patients who received implant-retained crowns as part of their routine care were satisfied with the overall treatment experience, and 97 percent of them would recommend this treatment to a friend. The survey results validate implant-supported crown treatment in predoctoral education. Although implant-supported restorations are a valid treatment option that must be presented to patients during treatment planning, creating a clinical competency in implant therapy requires greater consideration. Therefore, the benefits and challenges of such a clinical competency are discussed.

Patients presenting with mutilated dentition requiring multiple extractions can be treated effectively with conventional techniques for fabricating an immediate, complete, removable dental prosthesis (commonly known as an immediate complete denture). When a patient presents with a full-arch fixed partial denture with few and severely compromised abutments, it often precludes the possibility of staging the extractions prior to the fabrication of an immediate complete denture. A technique for fabrication of a functional, chairside, immediate complete denture is presented.

A technique for using flowable composite resin for making interocclusal records in cases involving fixed prosthodontics is described. The precise relation of maxillary and mandibular casts is an essential step in developing accurate occlusion in fixed prosthodontics. This technique consists of direct intraoral fabrication of transfer copings and an interocclusal record using flowable, light-activated composite resin. The technique is simple, does not require advance preparation and can be done during the final impression appointment