Prevalence of Abutment Teeth for Conventional Fixed Prostheses in a Brazilian Subpopulation

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the prevalence of abutment teeth for conventional fixed prostheses in a Brazilian subpopulation. Panoramic radiographs for a total of 1,401 patients taken from August 2002 to September 2007 were randomly selected from the database of the Radiological Center of Orofacial Images of Cuiabá (Cuiabá, Brazil). A total of 1,401 radiographs were examined to determine the frequency of abutment teeth for conventional fixed prostheses. Data concerning age, sex, and dental group were recorded. Frequency distribution and the chi-square test were used for statistical analysis. The level of significance was set at α = 5%. Of the 29,467 teeth included in the evaluation, 4,967 (16.8%) were abutments for conventional fixed prostheses. A high prevalence of abutment teeth for conventional fixed prostheses was observed in individuals aged between 46 and 60 years (49.9%). Maxillary canines and second premolars were the teeth most often involved in rehabilitation (10.5% and 10.3%). Missing teeth were identified in 24.8% of the sample. The prevalence of abutment teeth for conventional fixed prostheses was 16.8%, and the teeth most frequently used were maxillary canines and maxillary second premolars.