Abstract:
Objective
To investigate the influence of pontic shape on the mucosa tissue of alveolar ridge in PFM restorations of old patients.
Methods
150 old patients with single posterior tooth missing were divided into two groups randomly and restored with Co-Cr PFM bridge with two types of pontic designs respectively， namely bullet-shape pontic and modified saddleshape pontic. Patients were followed up 6 ～12 months after restoration， the condition of food stickiness and the incidence of inflammation in mucosa tissue were examined.
Results
6 ～12 months after restoration， inflammation rate of mucosa tissue in bullet-pontic group was significantly lower than that of modified saddle-shaped pontic group （χ2=5.79，P ＜0.05）. The incidence of food stickiness in bullet-shape pontic group was lower than that in modified saddleshape pontic group （χ2=1.19，P ＞0.05）， but without statistical difference.
Conclusion
Bulletshape pontic design was beneficial for protecting mucosa tissue， and was an ideal choice for PFM bridge in old patients.
Key words:
PFM bridge,
Bullet-shape pontic,
Modified saddle-shape pontic,
Food stickiness
Bing DU, Ju-feng CHEN, Li-fang LIU. The influence of pontic shape on the mucosa tissue of alveolar ridge in PFM restorations of old patients[J]. Chinese Journal of Stomatological Research(Electronic Edition), 2010, 4(02): 170-173.