[Systemic communication in a dental context].

As patients in a dental or medical context, persons find themselves in a vulnerable, exceptional psychological and physical situation, in which the solution-oriented regulation of emotions requires mindful, systemic communication. This review describes typical placebo and nocebo effects in verbal, paraverbal and non-verbal communication and their impact on patients and their relationship with dental or medical professionals. In addition, a training curriculum for second-year undergraduate dental master’s students is described, that not only provides students with the necessary competences for solution-oriented systemic communication, but also enables them to experience its effectiveness in the clinical context.

[Kommunikation bei Demenz].

A scoping review investigated the effectiveness of different communicative interventions for patients with dementia. It demonstrated that communication between caregivers and dementia patients is improved by music, multisensory stimulation, and communication training. As a result agitation, mania, fear, anger and corrective touching are reduced, and fluency, spontaneous speech, eye contact, smiling and affective touching are enhanced.

Attitudes of dental students towards treating elderly patients. Dental students’ attitudes on geriatric patients.

The purpose of this questionnaire-based survey was to evaluate the attitudes of the undergraduate dental students towards elders. The 14-item Geriatric attitudes scale (GAS) questionnaire, along with a 9-item questionnaire with specific questions on the current geriatric dental curriculum, confidence, and preference in treating the elderly patients were administered to the undergraduate dental students (3rd bachelor, 1st master, and 2nd master) in the four Swiss university dental schools. Mean GAS scores were calculated and inter- and intra-group differences were analyzed with ANOVA and post hoc tests (level of significance set at α=0.

Digital Oral Medicine for the Elderly.

Sustainable oral care of the elderly requires a holistic view of aging, which must extend far beyond the narrow field of dental expertise to help reduce the effects of sociobiological changes on oral health in good time. Digital technologies now extend into all aspects of daily life. This review summarizes the diverse digital opportunities that may help address the complex challenges in Gerodontology.

[Changing paradigm for better oral health of the elderly].

Gerodontology is still understanding itself as a special field that is caring for elderly persons in the 4th stage of life needing nursing and generally living in an institution. In spite of all efforts that have been made, oral health of this population has not really improved. The reason for this lies in the fact that the causes of oral diseases which we face in institutions occur much earlier, in the so-called 3rd stage of life, in which the elderly are living at home and care for their daily life more or less independently.

The elderly patient: no reason to worry!?

In December 2013, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has placed Switzerland for the first time at the top of the list of countries’ general population life ex- pectancy. The augmenting life expectancy and demographic changes are leading to an increase in the number of older people who are dependent on care (Höpflinger & Hugentobler 2003, Höpflinger et al. 2011).

The effect of tooth loss on gait stability of community-dwelling older adults.

Objective: To investigate the effects of tooth loss on gait stability in a healthy elderly population.

Methods: A case-control study was conducted among healthy and prosthetically well-restored seniors over the age of 65 years. The test group comprised 24 edentulous participants who were restored with complete dentures in the upper jaw and an overdenture fixed on two implants in the lower jaw.

[Medical and psycho-social screening of ageing patients in dental office].

The demographic changes cause an increasing number of ageing persons laying claim to medical and dental care. They are trying to maintain their habit of regular dental controls. Therefore, the dental care team should be able to recognize early medical and psycho-social deficiencies relevant for oral health.

[Malnutrition in the elderly--a interdisciplinary problem for the dentist].

Success in dental treatment and long-term care of elderly persons requires an interdisciplinary consideration of aging. Medical knowledge, which is far beyond specific dental expertise, is assumed. A typical example is that of malnutrition, which in spite of its high frequency in the elderly, has not yet been considered to be important in dentistry.

Three-dimensional treatment planning for prosthetic rehabilitation.

All prosthetic rehabilitations require healthy, stable oral conditions. The biologic response to the preliminary treatment provides important criteria for planning the final reconstruction and permits testing of the desired prosthetic treatment goals within the unique patient-specific biologic conditions before final restoration. This study used long-term provisional restorations that corresponded in both form and function to the anticipated restorations.

In vitro retention force changes of prefabricated attachments for overdentures.

Changes in the retention force of six prefabricated spherical and cylindrical attachments were examined in vitro under continuous loading. The testing machine permitted insertion-separation cycles to be tested under reproducible conditions while a calibrated measuring device determined the insertion and retention forces. At the beginning, during the so-called run-in period, all anchoring elements showed a very unstable behaviour characterized by a varying marked increase and subsequent decrease in the retention force.

Computer-assisted generation of all-ceramic crowns and fixed partial dentures.

The successful application of the concept of computer-assisted manufacturing in restorative dentistry requires that computer-assisted design (CAD) and computer-assisted machining (CAM) not only meet but actually exceed currently accepted standards for the material and clinical quality of dental restorations. In addition, the continued development of systems for polyvalent processing of disparate materials and objects must be assured. With these critical requirements in mind, the Precident system is a clinically proven and competitive system.

Accuracy of implant treatment planning utilizing template-guided reformatted computed tomography.

Objectives: To evaluate the magnitude of error in transferring the planned position of implants from reformatted CT scans to a surgical template.

Methods: The deviation between the position of the apex of the proposed implant in paraxial CT reformats and on the corresponding study cast was measured in 77 prospective sites in five maxillas and nine mandibles.

Results: The transfer error was 0.

Prevention of bacterial leakage into and from prefabricated screw-retained crowns on implants in vitro.

Previous in vitro studies have shown that a mean gap of less than 4 microns between prefabricated crowns and implants of the Ha-Ti implant system is not a barrier to infiltration by Staphylococcus aureus. These studies confirmed earlier in vivo work showing that a multitude of oral microorganisms could colonize and infiltrate these gaps. In the present investigation, 30 Ha-Ti implant-crown assemblies were tested for bacterial leakage after the gaps were sealed with the chlorhexidine-containing varnish Cervitec.

Bacterial leakage into and from prefabricated screw-retained implant-borne crowns in vitro.

A mean gap of less than 4 microm following laboratory procedures and continuous loading was demonstrated in prefabricated crowns of the Ha-Ti implant system in earlier studies. The clinical relevance of such high precision in maintaining inflammation free marginal mucosa is yet to be determined. In this present investigation, the complete assembly of Ha-Ti implants including prefabricated screw-retained crowns was tested for bacterial leakage under controlled conditions in vitro.

Marginal adaptation of titanium frameworks produced by CAD/CAM techniques.

This study evaluated the Digitizing Computer System (DCS Production) for computer-controlled fabrication of titanium copings. The three-dimensional shape of the crown preparations was acquired through micropalpation with a contact digitizer on the master cast. In this in vitro study the marginal fit of computer-machined titanium frameworks for veneered crowns was assessed using scanning electron microscopy.

Clinical performance of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures and extracoronal attachments for removable prostheses.

Statement Of Problem: It is important to evaluate the long-term clinical performance of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures and extracoronal attachments for removable prostheses.

Purpose: A prospective, long-term clinical study was conducted to evaluate the success of resin-bonded fixed partial dentures since 1985 and of resin-bonded extracoronal attachments from 1987.

Methods: Until 1993, a total of 130 resin-bonded fixed partial dentures had been seated in 101 patients, as well as 12 removable partial dentures (RPDs) with 24 extracoronal retainers in 10 patients.

Retention force changes in implant-supported titanium telescope crowns over long-term use in vitro.

Titanium is used to fabricate spherical and bar attachments for overdentures on osseointegrated implants. This in vitro study investigated the long-term effects of commercially pure titanium on the retention force of telescope crowns with conical interface. Combinations of various materials for the inner and outer crowns were tested.

Dental implant treatment planning with reformatted computed tomography.

By using specific software programmes, it is now possible to obtain reformatted CT images of the mandible and maxilla. This facility has proved to be valuable in the planning of fixed and removable suprastructures in implantology. We describe the use of a radiopaque prosthetic template to enable the optimal position and axial inclination of the fixtures in edentulous patients to be established.

In vitro investigation of various attachments for overdentures on osseointegrated implants.

Primary splinting of fixtures with bar attachments has proved to be clinically effective for overdentures on osseointegrated implants in the edentulous mandible. However, in vitro investigations indicate that a more favourable force transfer to the individual fixtures can be attained by secondary splinting of four implants with conical double crowns. This observation could be confirmed in the present study by measurement of implant deflection in a model of the mandible by means of interferometric optical holography.

A new concept of overdentures with telescope crowns on osseointegrated implants.

Primary splinting of fixtures with bar attachments has proven to be clinically effective for overdentures on osseointegrated implants in the edentulous mandible. However, in vitro investigations indicate that a more favorable force transfer to the individual fixtures can be attained by secondary splinting of four implants with tapered telescope crowns, compared to primary splinting with rigid or jointed bar attachments. Moreover, in contrast to jointed attachments, the telescope crowns ensure a stable denture position.

Resin-bonded fixed partial denture technique: results of a medium-term clinical follow-up investigation.

Results of a clinical investigation with cast metal, electrolytically etched, resin-bonded fixed partial dentures (FPDs) are reported. These FPDs were inserted under standardized conditions. The FPDs had been in place and functioning for an average time of 21.