Prevalence of Vitality in Fixed Partial Denture Done by the Undergraduates - A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Fixed partial denture is any dental prosthesis that is luted, screwed, or mechanically attached or otherwise
securely retained to natural teeth, tooth roots, and/or dental implants/abutments that furnish the primary
support for the dental prosthesis and restoring teeth in a partially edentulous arch; it cannot be removed by
the patient. This study is aimed to evaluate prevalence of vitality of pulp before and after tooth preparation
done by undergraduates for fixed partial denture. A retrospective study was done in which 955 teeth were
prepared for fixed partial denture from 1 June 2019 till 1 March 2020 were included. Data was reviewed
from the patients records of 86,000 patients documented in a private institution. Statistical analysis was
performed to assess the vitality of pulp before and after tooth preparation done by undergraduates for fixed
partial denture. There was a statistically significant difference when postoperative vitality was compared in
different age groups (p<0.05). Out of 200 abutments that were non vital postoperatively only 48% of the
abutment had indication for endodontic therapy. Lack of experience of dental students can be the reason for
pulpal exposure during preparation. It might be difficult for students to get the parallelism of the abutments
mainly in the multiunit fixed dental prosthesis. Treatment planning should be done carefully along with the
students and a beforehand mock preparation should be done on plaster models instead of direct preparation
of the vital abutments, this can also help students to perform different types of treatments adequately.