Longevity of anterior resin-bonded bridges: survival rates of two tooth preparation designs

Abstract

Background:Significant developments have occurred in the design of resin-bonded bridges (RBB) over the past two dec-ades. They are commonly used as an alternative treatment option for a single missing tooth. The longevity of thesebridges needs to be further investigated to evaluate long-term outcomes for this option to remain relevant.Methods:A cohort of patients who received anterior resin-bonded bridges (ARBB) over two decades was studied retro-spectively. Longevity of 206 ARBB was assessed using Kaplan–Meier probability estimates. The two modified toothpreparation designs investigated were: (A) mesial and distal vertical grooves only; and (B) one proximal groove adjacentto the pontic and two palatal grooves. Age and gender of the patient cohort were also recorded.Results:Overall survival rate of ARBB was 98% at 5 years, 97.2% at 10 years, and 95.1% from 12 years till 21 years.Survival curves showed minor differences when compared for the two designs, age groups and gender of ARBB recipi-ents. Differences in the proportion of surviving bridges for design A (95.96%) and design B (98.13%) were not statisti-cally significant (Fisher’s exact test).Conclusions:Anterior RBB with described tooth preparation designs demonstrate a high survival rate.