ICD AND OVERDENTURES: IMPROVING ESTHETICS, MASTICATION AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Abstract

The teeth total loss is one of the worst clinical situations that can be found in Dentistry and it may cause masticatory ability reduction and consequent interference in food digestion. Besides, it may affect esthetics and phonation. This situation contributes to a decrease of life quality and self-esteem. The complete denture is the most used therapeutic modality in the rehabilitation of complete edentulous people. A problem that should be faced, when the total prosthesis is indicated, lays exactly on the fact that the patients resist being toothless, while they wait for the osseous and tissue repairs, used in the posterior prosthesis confection. Another problem is associated with much reabsorbed ridges, which are unable to present retention and stability conditions to a complete denture. The utilization of immediate complete dentures (ICD) and dental implants can solve these problems. The SUS doesn’t offer these treatment modalities, neither in the basic attention, nor in the special. The curricular disciplines of FOUFMG don’t offer the necessary information on how to rehabilitate edentulous people with few residual alveolar ridge using implants or those unsatisfied with the use of their complete denture. The the objective of the Immediate Total Prosthesis/Overdentures Project implantation was to fill the lack of that practice in the curriculum and in the patient treatment. The present work aims to present the PTI/Overdentures Project to the academic community, a project with assistance characteristics, practical/theoretical nature and that was developed for the FOUFMG graduation students and for the patients, who use complete denture or with indication to use it. The activity shows a huge utility, both to users and students, as it fulfills a gap in the health social service and of the curriculum. The impact in the improving patients’ life quality is evaluated by applying the Oral Health Impact Profile - OHIP-14 questionary. The initial objectives selected by the project coordinators have satisfactorily been reached because a well defined attendance and a dynamic and interdisciplinary action were made. Also, the extension activity has provided an interaction between learning, research and knowledge production areas, giving a high impact in the academic formation of the participant students and consolidating the formation of a citizen professional, and a positive dialogic relationship with the assisted community. Besides, it resulted on a high improvement in the life quality of the patients. The conclusion is that the project has been satisfactorily achieved its objectives, benefiting students and patients.