Sentiments expressed in relation to tooth loss: a qualitative study among edentulous Saudis.

PURPOSE: The objective was to explore and gain insight into the sentiments surrounding tooth loss in a group of edentulous Saudis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a qualitative methodology, 44 edentulous patients who were receiving complete denture treatment were interviewed in private, in the Arabic language. Interviews were tape recorded and semistructured, following a list of predetermined and piloted topics, but dialogue also took place, with the freedom for both interviewer and interviewee to explore areas of interest. All recordings were transcribed, translated into English, and interpreted independently by two members of the team to identify the core themes associated with tooth loss. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 58.9 years (range 35 to 72 years), and they had been edentulous for a mean of 7.1 years (range 3 months to 22 years). The main themes related to tooth loss were unqualified acceptance, inevitability with old age, behavior changes with respect to eating comfort, aged appearance, self-responsibility, positively perceived benefits, high prosthetic expectations and reduced level of denture satisfaction, and some need for privacy. CONCLUSION: The lack of any outward indication that participants experienced bereavement suggests that outlook on life can influence the impact of tooth loss. Participants' unqualified acceptance of their edentulous fate, yet their clear need to "normalize" oral function, reflects a degree of pragmatism toward life events. The strong influence of religion in Saudi society is a possible factor in the sentiments expressed.

Influence on dimensional accuracy of volume of wash material introduced into pre-spaced putty/wash impressions.

This study compared the accuracy of stone models obtained from two-stage, pre-spaced putty/wash impressions under conditions in which known volumes of wash material were introduced during the second stage of the impression: Group I, a quantity of wash material corresponding to the space provided; Group II, double the quantity of wash material as the space provided; Group III, double the quantity of wash material, but with V-shaped vents in the putty for escape of excess material. Percentage deviations of the vertical dimensions of stone dies with respect to the master model were significantly different between Groups I and II (the latter being shorter) (p < 0.05). For horizontal dimensions, differences were less consistent, although the deviations for Groups I and II and Groups II and III, with respect to the master model, were significantly different from each other for two of the three dimensions measured (Group II inter-abutment distances were generally larger) (p < 0001 and p < 0.05, respectively). It is concluded that putty recoil, resulting from compression by excess wash material, plays a significant role in the undersizing of working dies, although the level of clinical relevance is less clear.