Patients satisfaction after receiving prosthesis of some missing anterior elements among patients with missing posterior teeth: Making case for the concept of shortened dental arch

Objectives: The study investigated the demography, reason(s) for seeking treatment and outcome of treatment of prosthodontic patients after receiving prosthesis of missing anterior elements among patients with missing posterior teeth. Materials and Methods: A four-year prospective study involving interview and clinical examination of prosthetic patients. Patients were interviewed and examined at presentation and on the 7th and 28thand 72nd day post-insertion. Results: There were 144 patients comprising 32(22.2%) males and 112(77.8%) females that met the inclusion criteria. The age range (mean) is 18-80 (44.4 + 4.23) years. The most common and significant reason for replacement of missing teeth was aesthetics (58.3%, p<0.05). Patient’s reported treatment outcome reveals a 100% success following treatment of anterior edentulous spaces. Conclusion: This study found that patients’ are mostly concerned with replacement of anterior teeth and lends support the school of thought that SDA concept is a viable option in the management of edentulousness, since aesthetics rather than mastication is the most common indication for seeking to treat edentulousness.