Prevention of peri-implant skin inflammation using an acrylic resin housing with a tunnel design for an implant-retained auricular prosthesis.

Implant-retained auricular prostheses offer better retention than conventional adhesive retentive methods. Peri-implant skin inflammation, which results from improper substructure design, poor hygiene, skin thickness, and the hot and moist environment around abutments, however, is a common complication of craniofacial implants. This article describes a technique for fabricating an acrylic resin housing design with an extended arm to improve ventilation around implants and to reduce the risk of the silicone prosthesis tearing away from the acrylic resin housing.

A two-step functional impression technique for the fabrication of an implant-retained silicone auricular prosthesis.

Excessive movement of the underlying tissue bed can lead to poor retention of an implant-retained silicone auricular prosthesis. This article describes a 2-step impression technique with a secondary functional pickup impression of the wax pattern. A wide range of tissue movements can be recorded while maintaining a stable relationship between the abutment analog assembly and retentive elements. The definitive cast is modified accordingly to provide an accurate reproduction of the patient's tissues during function, thus, increasing the overall retention and stability of the definitive prosthesis.

Fabrication of a new silicone auricular prosthesis without removing the existing metallic framework.

Silicone prostheses require constant repair and refabrication. Auricular prostheses retained with implants have better retention than adhesive-retained prostheses. However, refabrication is complicated if the patient is unwilling to surrender the metallic framework attached to the implants and revert to the use of adhesives. This article describes a technique by which the metal framework of the existing prosthesis need not be removed, thereby improving the patient's quality of life until the new prosthesis is delivered.

Silicone nasal prosthesis retained by an intranasal stent: a clinical report.

Nasal defects after tumor excision can leave a patient functionally and esthetically impaired. Loss of nasal septal cartilage support causes the soft tissue to collapse or undergo stenosis, further compounding the problem. Intranasal stents can be used to maintain the patency of such nasal defects. This clinical report describes the use of an acrylic resin nasal stent bonded to a silicone nasal prosthesis to rehabilitate a patient with a nasal defect.

Cross-cultural comparison of the attitudes of dental students in three countries.

The aim of this study was to identify and compare the attitudes of dental students toward their career choice and dental education in three different countries. Three hundred thirty-six dental students from the University of British Columbia, Canada; Mahidol University and Chiang Mai University, Thailand; and Nippon Dental University, Japan, participated in this study. Information was derived from a questionnaire consisting of career choice items and dental education items. Significant differences in the responses of the participants from each of the three countries were detected for each of the questionnaire items (P<0.001). Regarding factors that may have served as motivations for career choice, the majority of dental students from each country indicated positive reasons such as interpersonal motives, caring for other people, and academic interest. For future career options, the majority of Japanese and Canadian students planned to work as general dentists. Thai students were more likely than Japanese or Canadian to prefer specialization than practicing general dentistry. Nearly three-quarters of the Canadian and Thai students were satisfied with the teaching faculty of their schools, while only a quarter of the Japanese students indicated satisfaction. The findings from this study enhance our understanding of differences and/or similarities among dental students in three nations; this information may help to define strategies to improve the quality of international student exchange programs.