Perceptions of dentists regarding the shortened dental arch

Objectives: This study investigated the perceptions of dentists in the Western Cape towards the shortened dental arch (SDA)e.g. knowledge, opinions, clinical acceptability and oral health-related quality of life, including types of clinical practices and procedures for replacement of missing teeth. Method: A survey was conducted amongst the dentists to assess their attitude towards the SDA. A pilot study was performed in the department of restorative dentistry with 15 of the academic staff. Then random samples were drawn in two cycles with 455 and 124 practitioners from the 700 dentists. A self-administered questionnaire was posted, faxed and/or e-mailed to the dentists. All participants had to complete an informed consent form, ensuring them that the information was strictly confidential. After the initial dispatch of questionnaires, they received several reminders. This cross-sectional study was conducted over 6 months. Included in the study were practicing general dentists, prosthodontists, periodontists, orthodontists and retired dentists. Statistical analysis, after discussions relating to sample size; questionnaire format and type of study with a statistician, was completed using the Excel Statistical package. Types of tests included Contingency tables; Categorical analyses and Paired Comparison analyses. Results: The sample of 84 respondents had an average age of 43 years with a slight bias towards the academics. Many of the retired dentists refused to participate. Most of the participants have purely restorative practices (60%), the rest do a combination of procedures. Forty eight percent said they heard about the SDA at University, which would be in line with the age category reported earlier. The majority said patients can function and benefit with the SDA and that nothing would prevent them from presenting it as a treatment option. Conclusions: Participants agreed that the SDA is an acceptable treatment alternative but that the research is limited.