Influence of Fiber Reinforcement on the Properties of Denture Base Resins

Advances in the medical sciences along with rapid increase in the specialized and better treatment modalities, certainly prolonged the human life with a drastic increase in the number of elderly in the past few decades. Tooth loss is one of the manifestations of aging. Dentures and dental implants are the major prosthetic devices given to restore physiological and esthetic functions of oral tissues of edentulous or partially edentulous patients. Complete and partial dentures based on polymeric compositions are the most popular devices since the cost of dental implants and metal-base dentures are much higher. Among the polymers, poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the most commonly used material for this purpose. Although, this material is not ideal in every respect, it is the combination of qualities rather than one single desirable property that accounts for its popularity and usage. One of the main drawbacks of this material is considered to be its poor mechanical performance. There have been several attempts in the recent past to address the problem of inferior mechanical properties of these materials. Generally, there are three ways which have been investigated to improve the mechanical properties of denture bases;search for or development of an alternative material to PMMA;chemical modification of PMMA;and the reinforcement of PMMA. Present article is a review of types of fibres reinforced in denture prosthesis and their effects on mechanical properties of denture prosthesis.

Identification of Dermal Crease Patterns as a Link between Genetics and Periodontitis:Reliability and Credibility

Introduction:The disruptions in the ectodermal layer during intrauterine growth in the process of the formation of epidermal ridges can be linked to the association between dermatoglyphics and abnormalities of the tooth and periodontium.Given the genetic linkage of periodontal disease this study was hypothesized at observing the association of chronic periodontitis,aggressive periodontitis,and individuals with healthy periodontium as per the 1999 AAP classification of periodontitis with their fingerprint patterns and ridge count.Materials and Methods:Patients belonging to an age cohort of 18-50 who visited the department of periodontics and implantology were included in the study.Patients’periodontal status was determined and was enrolled in the study.A total of 114 subjects were compared,where 38 subjects belonged to the individual group of periodontal condition that are designated as Group A(healthy),Group B(chronic periodontitis),and Group C(aggressive periodontitis).A total of 1140 fingerprints were collected.They were analyzed and classified according to their patterns and also the ridges were counted.Results:The comparison between three groups showed a statistically significant difference between increased percentage frequency of radial loops(28%)in chronic periodontitis and plain whorls(26.3%)in aggressive periodontitis.There was a significant difference between ridge count among all the three groups,the highest being in healthy and the least between aggressive periodontal conditions.Conclusion:Observations of the study show that there was a difference in fingerprint pattern between patients of all the three periodontal conditions indicating a link between epidermal ridges and condition of periodontium.