A Single-Center Study of a Resin Inlay Dental Implant-Fixed Prosthesis for Closing Proximal Contact Loss in 89 Patients Who Underwent 3-Year Follow-Up

BACKGROUND: Proximal contact loss (PCL) is very common between implant-fixed prostheses (IFPs) and adjacent teeth and leads to a high incidence of food impaction. Our aim was to determine if the mesio-distal adjustable (MDA) crown prostheses introduced in this study could easily establish new contacts intraorally without the intervention of prostheses retrieval. MATERIAL/METHODS: The MDA crown requires casting in the inlay framework at the proximal contact area. If PCL occurred, the resin in the inlay framework could be easily removed and refilled chairside. This single-center prospective study aimed to investigate the use of a resin inlay dental implant-fixed prosthesis for the closing proximal contact loss in 93 patients who were recruited from April 2017 to December 2017. Four patients dropped out during the 3-year follow-up; therefore, 89 patients were included. The effect of this technique was assessed by the implant mucosal status and follow-up investigations of food impaction. RESULTS: PCL occurred in 29.21% (26 prostheses) of the IFPs. The PCL rate at the mesial contact surfaces (n=24, 26.97%) was significantly higher than that at the distal contact surfaces (n=5, 8.33%) (P<0.01); however, the incidence of PCL was greater at adjacent teeth with significant bone resorption (P=0.00). After readjusting the resin inlay and closing the clearance, implant mucosal status and food impaction were significantly reduced (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study showed that use of the MDA crown for closing PCL was time-saving and effective with satisfactory results at 3-year follow-up.