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Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare lightness (L), chroma (C) and hue (h), green-red (a) and blue-yellow (b) character of the color of maxillary right central incisors in different light conditions and light sources., Materials and Methods: Two examiners who were well trained in digital color evaluation participated in the research. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) were used to analyze intra- and interobserver reliability. The LCh and L*a*b* values were determined at 08.15 and at 10.00 in the morning under three different light conditions. Tooth color was assessed in 10 subjects using intraoral spectrophotometer VITA Easyshade Advance 4.0 ® set at the central region of the vestibular surface of the measured tooth., Results: Intra- and interobserver ICC values were high for both examiners and ranged from 0.57 to 0.99. Statistically significant differences in LCh and L*a*b* values measured in different time of the day and certain light condition were not found (p>0.05). Statistically significant differences in LCh and L*a*b* values measured under three different light conditions were not found, too (p>0.05)., Conclusions: VITA Easyshade Advance 4.0 ® is reliable enough for daily clinical work in order to assess tooth color during the fabrication of esthtic appliances because it is not dependent on light conditions and light sources.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of patients treated with three different types of mandibular implant overdentures (IOD) after at least 3 years in function., Materials and Methods: A total of 122 patients treated with mini implant (50), locator (56), or bar (16) mandibular IODs participated. Modified plaque (PI) and gingival (GI) indices were also assessed., Results: Older patients and patients with mini mandibular IODs were the most satisfied with their OHRQoL. The bar overdenture presented the worst PI and GI results., Conclusion: The mini mandibular overdenture patients were assessed with a better OHRQoL than those with bar and locator IODs.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the translucency of two different all-ceramic systems using Vita Easyshade digital shade matching device in an in vitro model., Materials and Methods: Translucency of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic (IPS e.max Press) and zirconia all-ceramic system (Ceramill ZI) were evaluated and compared. A total of 5 square-shaped specimens with 0.5 mm thickness were fabricated from each ceramic system in A1 shade according to Vitapan Classical shade tab. Specimens were then veneered and glazed with corresponding veneer ceramics recommended by each system manufacturer and the total thickness was set to 1.5 mm. Translucency was evaluated using VITA Easyshade in two stages: before and after veneering and glazing on black and white background. Translucency parameter (TP) was calculated. A one-way ANOVA and Bonferonni tests were used when appropriate (α=0.05)., Results: Lithium disilicate glass-ceramic was significantly more translucent than the zirconia system in both stages (P<0.05). Translucency of all specimens was significantly decreased after veneering and glazing in both all-ceramic systems (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The translucency of two different dental ceramics was significantly influenced by both material and stages of preparation. Within the limitations of the experiment, these results can be valuable and help the clinician to make appropriate esthetic decisions., Competing Interests: Conflicts of Interest: None declared

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the level of patients' satisfaction with appearance of maxillary anterior teeth restorations and to determine if there is a significant difference in patients' assessment of restoration appearance with regard to gender., Materials and Methods: Two hundred subjects evaluated the colour, anatomical shape and surface texture of maxillary anterior teeth restorations (composite fillings, acrylic faceted metal crowns, porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns and all-ceramic crowns) in comparison with adjacent natural teeth. The data were expressed in patients' average assessment scores for colour, anatomical shape and surface texture as well as overall patients' average assessment scores for every type of restoration and overall patients' average assessment scores for colour, anatomical shape and surface texture of all the restorations in general. Patients also assessed the general impression of their maxillary anterior teeth restorations and rated it as satisfactory or unsatisfactory., Results: There was a statistically significant gender difference in patient assessment of colour and surface texture for composite fillings and the overall patient average assessment score for colour of all assessments (p <0.05). Women were more dissatisfied with the general impression of their restorations on the upper teeth than men (p >0.05). Only overall patients' average assessment score for composite restorations almost reached the level of significance (p = 0.069) on patients' general impression., Conclusion: Colour of the restorations and the composite material are significant factors which affect dental appearance of maxillary anterior teeth in patients.

The resorption of the residual alveolar ridges is a chronic and continuous process of bone remodeling. The aim of this study was to analyse the rate of residual ridge resorption at different sites in the both jaws in complete denture wearers, through a five-year period of denture wearing. Residual ridge changes were measured on successive lateral cephalograms at 5 measurement points of the maxilla and the mandible. The first lateral radiograph was obtained at the delivery of complete dentures. The second lateral cephalogram was obtained after five years of denture wearing. Measurements were performed using a calibrated grid. The results of this study showed the existence of a significant alveolar ridge resorption at all five measurement points of the maxilla and the mandible. The observed variables, such as body mass index and the night time denture wearing had no significant influence on the rate of residual alveolar ridge resorption (p > 0.05). The duration of edentulousness had a significant influence on the rate of residual ridge resorption with significantly higher amounts of alveolar bone height decrease in those patients who had lost the last remaining teeth more recently.

Human bones decrease in quality and increase in porosity beginning at about the third decade of life. The aim of this study was to establish an equation to predict the maxillary and mandibular linear vertical resorption potential for elderly edentulous patients on the basis of the analysis of the cervical vertebrae in a single cephalometric radiograph. The morphology of the bodies of the third and fourth cervical vertebrae and measurements of linear vertical resorption in the frontal region of the jaws were analyzed in two consecutive cephalometric observations of 26 elderly edentulous patients over the five-year period of wearing complete dentures. An equation was determined to obtain maxillary and mandibular linear vertical resorption on the basis of measurements in the third and fourth cervical vertebral bodies and the average errors between the predicted and the actual values were 0.14 mm. The cervical vertebrae exhibited significant decrease in the height and width, and residual alveolar ridges exhibited significant decrease in the height over the 5-year period of wearing dentures (p < 0.01). These results suggest that using cervical vertebral measurements might allow predicting the maxillary and mandibular resorption for edentulous elderly patients wearing complete dentures.

This study aimed to analyze factors related to patients' general satisfaction with removable partial dentures (RPDs), such as esthetics, retention, speech, chewing, and comfort. A total of 103 patients with Kennedy Class I RPDs (34 to 82 years old; mean age: 63; 35 men, 68 women) assessed their satisfaction with dentures. Stepwise multiple regression analysis was used to evaluate the relationship among the factors. Significant correlations were found between general satisfaction and each of the individual components (P < .05). The patients' assessment of esthetics explained almost 50% of general satisfaction in both arches (P < .05). Esthetics, chewing, and speech had significant effects on the patients' general satisfaction with dentures.

This study aimed to determine how facial measurements explain the variability of dental proportions. The following measurements were obtained from 90 subjects: width and length of each maxillary anterior tooth, length of the nose, length of the upper lip, facial length (including the lengths of the facial thirds), intercanthal width, interalar width, intercommisural width while smiling, and maximum central incisor exposure while smiling. The combination of all facial measurements explained the variability of maxillary anterior teeth width/length ratios by only 20% to 38% in men and 16% to 27% in women. Within the population tested, the results suggest that the use of facial measurements for the selection of artificial denture teeth is generally inaccurate.

Statement of Problem: Wide normal variations have been found in the structure and density of the human skeleton, as well as of the mandible., Purpose: The objective of this study was to determine whether the mandibular bone mineral density is correlated with the classification of the structure of the inferior cortex on panoramic radiographs in complete and removable partial denture wearers., Materials and Methods: The mandibular cortical index of 136 randomly selected complete and removable partial denture wearers was evaluated via panoramic radiographs. The criteria for the mandibular cortical index were as follow: category 1, sharp endosteal margin of the inferior cortex; category 2, semilunar defects; and category 3, thick cortical residues on endosteal margin. Forty male patients (mean age 72.7; range 56 to 84 years) and 96 female patients (mean age 69.7; range 48 to 86 years) participated. With a copper stepwedge and DenEx 2001 computer program, the mandibular bone mineral density was investigated densitometrically on dental panoramic radiographs. Four experienced observers and 6 general dental practitioners made the observations on all panoramic radiographs. All bone mineral density values were expressed in equivalents of the actual stepwedge thickness. An independent t test (alpha =.05) was used., Results: The severity of changes in the mandibular cortex was significantly related to all measured mandibular bone mineral density values (t test: P<.01). Mandibular cortical index category 3 had significantly lower bone mineral density values in all measured regions of interest. Interobserver and intraobserver agreement in mandibular cortical index assessment was excellent., Conclusion: Patients having lower bone mineral density values in the mandible have much more porous cortical layer of the inferior border of the mandible.

Objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of the method of the clinical intraoral densitometry, to compare differences in the calculation with or without subtraction of the background adjacent soft-tissues from the stepwedge (SW) and to verify which regression model best fitted the experimental data in order to express the measured values in equivalents of SW thickness. Two intraoral radiographs, one after another, were made for each of 6 patients. A copper SW (6 steps, thickness 0.05-0.3 mm) was attached to each radiograph, trying to avoid the superimposition of the bony structures. Films were processed and digitized. Grey levels were measured on each step of the SW, on the background of the SW and on the same 3 randomly chosen regions of interest (ROIs) on each digitized image. The measurement with and without the subtraction of optical densities of the background around the SW from the optical densities of the SW was performed. For the calculation of the SW thickness equivalents, the regression analysis was performed by using different regression models. The best fitting regression model was the 3rd degree polynomial. The results were more precise when using the subtraction of the background overlapping the SW.

This study uses the intraoral microdensitometric method to examine the impact of masticatory pressure on the alveolar bone around the abutment teeth clasp. Two retroalveolar radiographs were carried out on all 30 subjects over a period of 3 months using a copper calibration stepwedge. The dental radiographs were digitized and converted into positive. Grey level values on dental radiographs in the alveolar bone area in 7 region of interest (ROI) were measured. They were converted into the equivalent thickness of the calibration stepwedge using mathematical methods and the difference of the bone density between the two radiographs was calculated. The results demonstrated that there were no statistically significant differences between the 1st and 2nd radiographs in any of ROI (p > 0.05).

Background: Human bones decrease in density and increase in porosity beginning at about the third decade of life. The objective of this study was to determine whether mandibular bone mineral density (BMD) and some linear radiomorphometric measurements on dental panoramic radiograph (DPR) are correlated with different categories of body mass index (BMI) in elderly individuals., Methods: Cortical width at gonion (GI), at antegonion (AI), and below mental foramen (MI) and the appearance of the cortex of the lower border of the mandible distal to the mental foramina due to resorptive changes (mandibular cortical index [MCI]) were measured bilaterally on the mandible on 136 DPRs of elderly individuals. Using DPRs and copper stepwedge, mandibular BMD was investigated densitometrically. All BMD values were expressed in equivalents of the actual stepwedge thickness. The patients with BMIs from 20 to 25 kg/m(2) were classified as category 1 (the generally accepted range of normal BMI), and the patients with BMIs higher than 25 were classified as category 2 (heavy individuals with a heavy skeleton and a large amount of fat in the body)., Results: The results revealed statistically significant differences in all measured indices between different BMI categories (p <.05 for MI; p <.001 for GI and AI). Statistically significant differences were also found in BMD values between different BMI categories (p <.05); the differences were more pronounced in women. The patients with MCI category 3 had significantly lower BMD values in comparison to MCI category 2 (p <.01). Intraobserver agreement in GI, AI, MI measurement, and MCI assessments was excellent., Conclusions: Heavy people have higher BMD and higher values in linear radiomorphometric measurements than lighter people.

Background: A removable partial denture (RPD) is a common treatment available for restoration of partially edentulous ridges. Longitudinal studies indicate that RPDs have been associated with increased gingivitis, periodontitis, and abutment mobility., Methods: A total of 205 patients with RPDs participated in this study. There were 80 males and 125 females aged 38 to 89, with 123 maxillary and 138 mandibular RPDs. Patients were wearing existing RPDs for different periods ranging from 1 to 10 years. A two-part questionnaire was devised for this study. In the first part, patients answered questions on gender; age; smoking habits; denture age; denture wearing habits; mouth odor; and problems with food accumulating under the denture base, on the outside surface of the denture, and on the outside surface of remaining teeth after eating. The Kennedy classification, material, denture support, denture base shape, and number of teeth in contact, number of existing clasps, and occlusal rests were categorized. The quality of denture construction was also evaluated. In the second part of the questionnaire, baseline recordings of plaque (PI), gingival (GI), and calculus (CI) indexes were made, and Tarbet index (TI), as well as probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and tooth mobility (TM) were measured, both on abutment and non-abutment teeth., Results: Significant differences (P <0.01) were noted for PI, Cl, GI, PD, TM, and GR between abutment and non-abutment teeth, with abutment teeth showing more disease., Conclusions: RPD design plays an important role in the state of the periodontium. Appropriate design and good oral hygiene may decrease the appearance of periodontal disease.

The aim of this study was to re-examine Leon Williams geometric theory and to find the degree of correspondence between the face and the tooth form in the population of Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Two thousand individuals with intact frontal teeth, in age between 17 and 24 years, were measured for 3 horizontal distances on the face: temporal width (Ft-Ft), zygomatic width (Zyg-Zyg) and gonial width (Go-Go) and for 3 horizontal distances on the both upper incisors: cervical width (CW), contact point width (CPW) and incisal width (IW). The length of the face (Tr-Gn) as well as the length of the central maxillary incisors were also measured. The results revealed: 1. Men had significantly larger dimensions for all facial and tooth dimensions (p < 0.05) than women, except for the cervical tooth width (p > 0.05); the left and the right central incisors were of identical dimensions and forms (p > 0.05). 2. The width of upper central incisors were smaller approximately 1.5 mm than in west Europeans. 3. Upon the relation between the 3 horizontal dimensions measured on the face and upper maxillary incisor, 11 facial forms and 10 upper central tooth forms could be recognised in the study population, but 98% of the population had only 3 tooth and face forms. Face shapes: oval face--83.3%, square-tapered face--9.2% and tapered face--7%; tooth forms: tapered-square incisor--53%, oval incisor--30%, tapered incisor--16%. 4. Reversed and enlarged tooth form was in line associated with the facial form in only 30%, while the most common combination was of the oval face form and the tapered-square central incisor (45%). 5. These results disapprove William's theory and may be helpful for the choice of artificial teeth in complete denture construction and the dental industry.

Purpose: This article presents the results from a survey of patients' degree of satisfaction with their removable partial dentures (RPD) and the comparison between patient and prosthodontist assessments., Materials and Methods: A total of 165 experienced RPD wearers filled in a questionnaire and graded their RPDs depending on their level of satisfaction. A scale ranging from 1 to 5 was used to assess general satisfaction with RPDs and to assess their esthetics, retention, and hygiene. A specialist in prosthodontics assessed the same prostheses using the same scale, not knowing the patient's opinion., Results: The patients' assessments were high, and more than half of them graded their dentures as excellent. On average, all variables were assessed higher by the patients than by the prosthodontist (P < .001). For the patients who gave the worst grades to their dentures, the grades were lower than the prosthodontist's (P < .001), while the satisfied patients graded their dentures much better than did the prosthodontist (P < .001)., Conclusion: On average, patient assessment of the treatment outcomes with RPDs was less critical than prosthodontist assessment. However, the few dissatisfied patients assessed their dentures worse than did the prosthodontist.

Little is known about the outcomes of treatment and patient's satisfaction with removable partial dentures in adult Croatian population. Therefore patient's satisfaction with their partial dentures in relation to some socio-economic variables was studied. Patient's satisfaction with denture retention, speech, aesthetics, comfort of wearing dentures, chewing ability was also studied in relation to different denture classification, construction, material, denture base shape (major connectors), denture support and the number of missing teeth. A total of 165 patients, 59 males and 105 females between 38 and 87 years took part in this study. A questionnaire, devised for a purpose of the study, was divided into three parts. In the first part, patients answered questions about age, gender, marital status, education, general health, socio-economic status, self-supporting life, period of tooth loss and number of previous denture experiences and in the second part, patients graded their partial dentures, depending on the level of satisfaction, by using a scale from 1 to 5. In the third part a dentist determined Kennedy classification and their modifications, denture material and denture support, denture base shape and the number of missing teeth and graded a denture construction. Influence of these factors on patient's satisfaction was analyzed. A majority of the examined patients were satisfied with the partial prosthesis, but a small amount of dissatisfaction existed. More then half of them scored all the examined parameters to the best score category. Considering chewing with lower partial dentures, women were more satisfied than men (p < 0.05). Patients with more missing teeth gave lower grades for the comfort of wearing dentures (p < 0.05). Patients of higher education gave lower grades (p < 0.05) for the aesthetics. Patients were not satisfied with speech if the dentist graded a construction of a lower partial denture low (p < 0.05). Dissatisfaction was related to mastication, aesthetics, number of missing teeth and ability of speech. These findings can aid a clinician in discussing a treatment plan and help a patient understand the risk of dissatisfaction in the presence of certain factors.