Step-by-step full mouth rehabilitation of a nasopharyngeal carcinoma patient with tooth and implant-supported prostheses: A clinical report

Prevention and Management of Tooth Wear: The Role of Dental Technology

Tooth wear is a multifactorial condition and the term is used to describe all types of non-carious tooth substance loss: abrasion (produced by interaction between the teeth and other substances), attrition (produced during tooth-to-tooth contact), erosion (produced by a chemical process) and abfraction (produced through abnormal occlusal loading that predisposes tooth substance to mechanical and chemical wear). Dental technology has an important role in preventing, managing and monitoring tooth wear in a variety of ways. Hard poly(methyl methacrylate) or soft ethylene-vinyl acetate splints can be prescribed to alleviate bruxism, the most common cause of attrition. Thermoformed appliances can be used for the application of products that reduce dental erosion such as fluoride gel. Patients with significant tooth surface loss may require laboratory-made restorations, as well as removable appliances with bite planes that generate inter-occlusal space to facilitate restorations, or surgical templates to provide guidance in preparing restorations for those requiring surgical crown lengthening. Dental study models and digitised models can also prove valuable in terms of monitoring the condition. This paper presents a review of the role that dental technology plays in tooth wear prevention, management and monitoring.

Complete occlusal rehabilitation of patient with radiation caries - a case report

One of the most distressing and dramatic causes of xerostomia is radiotherapy for the cure of maxillofacial and neck carcinomas. Patient with radiotherapy induced xerostomia presents with challenges in prosthodontic management and in unique radiation caries control. This clinical report illustrates step by step execution of complex treatment planning that lead to successful outcome in 34-year-old man, who had been treated with Radical Neck Dissection (RND) and therapeutic radiotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of tongue and due to radiation caries, was presented with chief complaint of difficulty in mastication. Rehabilitation was carried out with metal-ceramic fixed restorations and cast removable prostheses after extensive endodontic intervention. This article also discusses the maintenance strategies for radiation caries patient requiring complete occlusal reconstruction, who certainly presents with special needs in post-treatment management.