EFFECT OF METAL-CERAMIC PROSTHESIS ON GINGIVAL MUCOSA

The fixed dental prosthesis is one of the most commonly used prosthesis in dental clinical practice for restoring function and health of oral tissues. This type of dental prosthesis is not without complications, as these restorations often extend into the gingival sulcus, and gingival epithelial cells come into contact with them. Unfortunately, they also alter and modify oral microbial flora. The aim of the present study is to identify the dynamics of changes of mucosa in the region of metallo-ceramic prosthesis. We have examined three groups of patients, according to the length of wearing time of metallo-ceramic prosthesis: I group - 1year, II group – 1-5 years and III group – 6-10 years. Each group includes two subgroup, where was studied influence of supportive and intermediate parts of Metal-Ceramic prosthesis on gingival mucosa. The gingival mucosa was examined by Papanicolaou staining and cytomorphometric indexes. A review of the literature and the results of our study demonstrated the effect of metallo-ceramic prosthesis on the dynamics of changes in the surrounding gingival mucosa. At the same time, the literature searches around the present study also showed possible reasons for the changes mentioned above. It was shown that the success of fixed dental prosthesis depends on many factors which should be considered during treatment planning. Therefore, a detailed analysis of the changes in the gingival mucosa surrounding the fixed ceramic-metal prosthesis and their possible causes are necessary prerequisites for successful prosthetics. Keywords: Fixed Metal-Ceramic prosthesis; Gingival Mucosa; Cytomorphometric Indexes;