COMPLETE PROSTHESES TREATMENT – PRESENT AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES
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treated with circumspection later, 52,53,54,55,56 as there
is no solid evidence to endorse a single standard of
care for the treatment of the edentulous mandible
pertaining to a specific treatment option. It was
shown that patient choice has a greater influence
on treatment outcome, as compared to the
practitioner’s bias towards a treatment option. 52
Fitzpatrick 52 emphasized that “the standard of care in
the edentulous mandible is the intervention judged
by the well-informed patient, in consultation with
an appropriately trained and experienced dental
health care provider, to best meet the needs and
circumstances of the patient.”
Efforts to reduce the costs and provide simplicity in
implant overdenture treatment went even farther by
investigating mandibular overdentures retained by a
single implant. 57,58,59,60,61,62
Well over half a century in the dental implant era, a
large majority of edentulous individuals continue
to wear conventional, tissue supported complete
dentures, and the need for such prostheses will stay
for years to come. 8,63,64
4. Simplified denture fabrication protocols
Most U.S. dental schools teach a traditional protocol
in complete denture fabrication, including a multi-
step approach using preliminary and master cast
impressions, semi-adjustable articulators