Evaluation of fibre-reinforced composite splinting mobile the lower front teeth of patients who suffer from periodontitis

Abstract

Aim: to evaluate the effectiveness of fibre-reinforced composite splints for lower front teeth immobilization in the scheme of complex therapy of severe periodontitis (III and IV stages) in short-term and long-term after treatment in persons with and without risk factors.

Materials and methods. To reach the goal, a total of 58 patients with stage III and IV periodontitis were examined with identification of risk factors for the periodontal disease progression (smoking and diabetes). After a detailed periodontal examination, all patients were non-surgically treated for periodontitis, and mobile teeth were immobilized by fibre-reinforced composite splints. After splinting, mandatory supportive periodontal care was prescribed (every 3 months) with the dynamic monitoring of oral hygiene (PI), probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP) and the splint structure condition (cracks and fractures of the splint, violation of the marginal fit, a single tooth separation from the overall structure, chipping of the material and defects in the interdental spaces). The patients were dynamically examined before treatment, immediately after treatment (1 month) and at the long-term periods (12, 24, 36 months).

Results. The splinting structure integrity was preserved in 67.24 % of patients for 3 years, and splinting defects were detected in 32.76 % of patients at different stages of the follow-up. Depending on the presence or absence of risk factors for periodontal disease, the splint structure integrity was preserved for 3 years in 18 patients (56.25 %) with associated risk factors and in 21 patients (80.77 %) without risk factors (P = 0.06).

Conclusions. The use of fibre-reinforced composite splints for immobilization of lower front teeth in the scheme of complex therapy for periodontitis (III and IV stages) allowed to preserve mobile teeth and reduce values of the studied periodontal indices both immediately and in the long term after treatment in individuals with and without risk factors.