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Dental Laboratory Communication Regarding Removable Dental Prosthesis Design in the UAE
Author(s) -
HajAli Reem,
Al Quran Firas,
Adel Omar
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of prosthodontics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.902
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1532-849X
pISSN - 1059-941X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-849x.2011.00842.x
Subject(s) - dental laboratory , dental technician , dentistry , medicine , dental prosthesis , directory , family medicine , medical education , computer science , surgery , implant , operating system
Purpose : The purpose of this study was to determine the methods dental practitioners in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) use to communicate cast removable dental prosthesis (RDP) design to dental laboratories; identify common practices taken by dentists/dental technicians prior to fabrication of RDP framework; and seek out dental technicians’ attitudes toward their role in RDP design decisions. Materials and Methods : All dental laboratories (n = 28) listed in a local telephone directory were invited to complete a questionnaire through a face‐to‐face interview. They were also requested to examine RDP cases fabricated in the past 2 months and identify steps taken by dentists/dental technicians prior to fabrication of the framework. Descriptive statistics were used to report frequencies and percentages. Results : Twenty‐one (75%) dental laboratories agreed to participate, out of which 19 had the facilities to fabricate chrome‐cobalt RDPs. Cast RDPs comprised approximately 4.04% (±2.67) of services provided. A reported 84.2% of dentists frequently communicate through generic lab script, with 89.5% rarely/never giving details regarding RDP design. While 52.6% of labs agree/strongly agree that it is the dentist's responsibility to decide the final RDP design, 94.7% agree/strongly agree that dentists should depend on dental technicians for design‐making decisions. A total of 19 RDP cases were reviewed. All 19 were surveyed and designed by dental technicians but received dentist approval of design prior to fabrication. Thirteen (68.4%) had rest‐seat preparations done by dentists after approval, and new impressions sent to the lab. No other tooth modifications were noted. Conclusion : The responsibility of RDP design appeared to be largely delegated to dental technicians. Importance of tooth modifications seemed to be undervalued and not completed prior to framework fabrication.