An investigation of aspects of design of resin-bonded bridges in general dental practice and hospital services.

PURPOSE OF STUDY

To assess the design of resin-bonded bridges (RBBs) by dentists, the quality of information provided to a dental laboratory, and aid identification of best practice.

DESIGN

A retrospective case series study of slips for RBB construction, sent by hospital and general dental practitioners to a dental laboratory based in a postgraduate dental institute in Scotland, UK.

MAIN FINDINGS

384 forms were reviewed. For single-tooth replacements, 40% of designs for upper anterior bridges and 46% for lower posterior bridges were fixed-fixed (F-F) when a cantilever design was a better option. Thirty-six (9.3%) of RBB designs involved double abutting. On the laboratory forms, fewer than five (1%) cases included instructions about the thickness of the metal framework and in 48% there was no reference to the extension of the metal framework.

PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS

For single-tooth replacements, a relatively high percentage of dentists prescribed a fixed-fixed design for RBBs, despite the evidence advocating the use of a cantilever design. A significant number of dentists used double abutments. The information provided to the laboratory for the construction of resin-bonded bridges was often insufficient.