A retrospective clinical evaluation of extensive tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses after 10 years.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The survival and success of tooth-supported fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) in long-term studies vary greatly, depending on the patient and the size of the FDP. Influencing factors for FDP survival or success may include advanced patient age at the time of FDP treatment, treatment severity, and use of new and cheaper FDP materials. As the patient population ages, prosthodontists will treat tooth wear in a greater number of older adults; however, recent long-term studies on such treatments are lacking. PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective clinical study was to examine extensive, tooth-supported FDPs made at 2 specialist clinics in Sweden after 10 years and to compare the outcomes with those of previous studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients rehabilitated by using FDPs of at least 5 units at 2 specialist clinics in Sweden between 2002 and 2006 were recalled after 10 years. Clinical examinations were supplemented by reviewing clinical records and existing radiographs. Statistical analysis was performed by using the Student t test, chi-squared test, Fisher exact test, and Kruskal-Wallis test (α=.05). RESULTS: A total of 152 patients were recalled for clinical examination. Of these, 78 patients attended and were examined. The mean age of the examined group was 70 years (range 36-94), lower than that of those not attending (80 years; range 46-100; P<.05). The mean number of units of the 78 examined FDPs was 7.3 (range 5-12) and 8.0 (range 5-14) for those not examined. FDP configurations in terms of number of units, abutments, pontics, and post-and-cores did not differ significantly between the 2 groups (P>.05). The survival proportion of the examined 78 FDPs (all units of the original FPD) was 74.4%. The success proportion (FDPs without complications) was 52.6%. The most frequent complications were caries (14.1%), endodontic complications (11.5%), loose retainers (7.7%), root fractures (5.1%), and framework fractures (3.8%). FDPs with post-and-cores (P<.05) and cantilevers (P=.054), especially when in combination (P<.05), showed more complications than FDPs without. Chipping fractures in porcelain were found in 38% of the FDPs (7.7% of the units), with more porcelain fractures on Co-Cr frameworks than on gold and titanium alloy frameworks (P<.05). CONCLUSIONS: This long-term retrospective study indicated that the prognosis for complicated and extensive FDPs in aging patients does not worsen with increased clinical complexity. New materials, treatment complexity, and older patients did not seem to markedly influence prognosis.

A 25-Year Retrospective Study on Prosthetic Rehabilitation with Bonded Ceramics of Patients with Amelogenesis Imperfecta.

PURPOSE: To examine the long-term performance of bonded all-ceramic restorations, specifically veneers, in patients with amelogenesis imperfecta (AI). There are few studies of long-term outcomes using a minimally invasive procedure in these patients. This aspect is essential when treating young patients. All-ceramic restorations, especially veneers, offer a more tissue-preserving treatment but rely on successful bonding. However, due to the defect enamel in AI patients, the bond strength is lower. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective evaluation of 40 subjects with AI (26 women, 14 men) was provided with a total of 360 bonded restorations (282 veneers, 78 crowns). The restorations were evaluated according to complications, survival, and success rate. RESULTS: The patients were observed up to 25.3 years (mean 15.4 ± 4.3 years). The mean age when receiving the restorations was 18.5 ± 4.2 years. In total, 59 (16.4%) restorations with prosthetic complications were made, 29 of which (8.1%) were remade (6 due to esthetic reasons, all in one patient) and 30 (8.3%) were recemented (60% caused by trauma). We found 11 teeth with caries and 3 with endodontic complications. The overall survival rate was 91.9%, and the overall success rate was 83.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Bonded all-ceramic restorations with no active retention in AI patients have excellent performance. The most common complications were debonding and fractures. The treatment should be based on individual indications and be preceded by a multidisciplinary approach.

Clinical evaluation of fixed partial dentures made in Sweden and China.

The aim of this study was to compare the quality of fixed partial dentures (FPDs) made in a Chinese dental laboratory with corresponding FPDs made in Swedish dental laboratories. Twenty-one patients were fitted with FPDs between March 2007 and December 2008. Single crowns and prostheses of up to seven units were made. All dentures, gold and CoCr alloys covered with ceramic, were produced in duplicate: one by a dental technician in China and the other by a dental technician in Sweden. The dentures were blind-tested with regard to marginal integrity, anatomic form and color, approximal and occlusal contacts, and time taken for adjustments. The composition of dentures was analyzed, and the material used, framework weight, compliance of the laboratories, and costs (material and labour) were recorded. There was no difference in the quality of marginal integrity, anatomic form, color, approximal and occlusal contacts, or in the time taken for adjustments. The bridge frameworks made in China were thinner and lighter (p<0.01) than those made in Sweden. Three FPDs from China showed elastic deformation when tested clinically and were considered too thin for clinical use. In 11 out of 14 orders from the Chinese laboratory, the gold alloy specified was not delivered and the cobalt-chromium alloy contained small amounts (0.19%) of nickel.The prostheses with gold-alloy frameworks from China cost 47% of those from Sweden (p<0.01) and those with cobalt/chromium frameworks 44% (p<0.01). In conclusion, the quality of the FPDs made in Sweden and China was comparable, with the exception of the dimension of the Chinese bridges, which in some cases was considered too weak. The gold alloy ordered from the Chinese laboratory was often not the alloy delivered and the CoCr alloy contained small amounts of nickel. FPDs from China cost less than half the price of those from Sweden.

Treatment of HIV infection: Swedish recommendations 2009.

On 4 previous occasions, in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2007, the Swedish Medical Products Agency (Läkemedelsverket) and the Swedish Reference Group for Antiviral Therapy (RAV) have jointly published recommendations for the treatment of HIV infection. In November 2008, an expert group under the guidance of RAV once more revised the guidelines, of which this is a translation into English. The most important updates in the present guidelines include the following: (a) treatment initiation is now recommended at a CD4 cell count of approximately 350/microl; (b) new recommendations for first-line therapy: abacavir/lamivudine or tenofovir/emtricitabine in combination with efavirenz or a boosted protease inhibitor (PI/r); (c) an increased focus on reducing the use of antiretroviral drugs that may cause lipoatrophy; (d) an emphasis on quality assurance of HIV care through the use of InfCare HIV; (e) considerably altered recommendations for the initiation of antiretroviral therapy in children. All infants (<1 y) should start antiretroviral therapy, regardless of immune status. Also, absolute CD4+ cell counts, rather than percentage, may be used to guide treatment initiation in children above the age of 5 y.

Evolution of human immunodeficiency virus type 2 coreceptor usage, autologous neutralization, envelope sequence and glycosylation.

To investigate why human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) is less virulent than HIV-1, the evolution of coreceptor usage, autologous neutralization, envelope sequence and glycosylation was studied in sequentially obtained virus isolates and sera from four HIV-2-infected individuals. Neutralization of primary HIV-2 isolates was tested by a cell line-based assay and IgG purified from patients' sera. Significant autologous neutralization was observed for the majority (39 of 54) of the HIV-2 serum-virus combinations tested, indicating that neutralization escape is rare in HIV-2 infection. Furthermore, sera from 18 HIV-2 patients displayed extensive heterologous cross-neutralization when tested against a panel of six primary HIV-2 isolates. This indicates that HIV-2 is intrinsically more sensitive to antibody neutralization than HIV-1. In line with earlier reports, HIV-2 isolates could use several alternative receptors in addition to the major coreceptors CCR5 and CXCR4. Intrapatient evolution from CCR5 use to CXCR4 use was documented for the first time. Furthermore, CXCR4 use was linked to the immunological status of the patients. Thus, all CXCR4-using isolates, except one, were obtained from patients with CD4 counts below 200 cells microl(-1). Sequence analysis revealed an association between coreceptor usage and charge of the V3 loop of the HIV-2 envelope, as well as an association between the rate of disease progression and the glycosylation pattern of the envelope protein. Furthermore, HIV-2 isolates had fewer glycosylation sites in the V3 domain than HIV-1 (two to three versus four to five). It is proposed here that HIV-2 has a more open and accessible V3 domain than HIV-1, due to differences in glycan packing, and that this may explain its broader coreceptor usage and greater sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies.

Efavirenz plasma concentrations in HIV-infected patients: inter- and intraindividual variability and clinical effects.

Efavirenz is a drug subject to extensive metabolism, mainly by the cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme CYP2B6, known to exhibit extensive interindividual variability. The aim of the present study was 2-fold: to investigate the relationship between plasma concentration and clinical effects of efavirenz and to investigate the extent of the inter- and intraindividual variability of the plasma concentration measurements. From an open clinic, 68 HIV-positive patients on efavirenz-containing treatment were recruited. From each patient 1 to 5 samples were collected; 43 had more than 1 sample taken. Most samples were taken 10-24 hours after the latest dose. Efavirenz was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. The data were analyzed by the variance component model analysis of variance. Efavirenz concentrations were reproducible, and intraindividual variability constituted only 16% of the total variance. Thus, 84% of the variance was attributed to interindividual variability. The incidence of primary treatment failure was related to low plasma concentrations with a geometric mean concentration of 6.1 micromol/L compared with 8.7 micromol/L in those responding to therapy (P < 0.05). If a cutoff of 7 micromol/L is used, 10 of 13 failing to respond were below this level compared with 15 of 45 in those responding. It is concluded that efavirenz plasma concentration measurement gives reproducible results predictive of primary treatment failure. A lower bound for the therapeutic level of 7 micromol/L is proposed, and data from other authors suggests that an upper level of 13 micromol/L may be applied.