Advances in clinical prosthodontics

INTRODUCTIONThis book is much more than the Proceedings of the VIII Conference on Clinical Prosthodontics (Turin, Italy). Rather it is a collection of oral presentations that have been critically reconsidered by the authors, who have been given the opportunity to re-evaluate their arguments in the light of the debate and the exchange of views that took place during the days of the Conference.The first part of the book, dedicated to the contributions from international Schools, deals with subjects of great current interest in prosthodontics. The aesthetic aspects of rehabilitation are dealt with from the purely technical standpoint by John W. McLean and by Alfons Hüls, who did not, however, neglect the psychological aspects that, as Prof. Carlo Merlini and Prof. Jean Mark Botta stress, must condition therapy and, we would like to add, must of necessity also direct research. In the light of the increasingly strong demands from patients for aesthetic restorations, Ivo Krejci illustrates the absolute reliability that today's adhesive techniques make possible in composite restorations of the posterior quadrants. The advent of implantology, which was originally conceived as the prosthodontic solution to total edentulism, has also changed the prosthodontic approach to partial edentulism. John Beumer III describes his ten-year experience in the field of implant-prosthodontic restoration of posterior quadrants at the prestigious UCLA School. He warns that it would not be correct to accept implant-based solutions unconditionally. The same concept has been stressed by Livio Airoldi, who has added that this is true “above all when conventional tecniques, such as the Perio-Overdenture, are available, which allow us to treat patients with periodontally severely compromised dentition, successfully and likely in a more biological and aesthetic manner”. Equally significant and up to date is the work of Jan De Boever, who offers a painstaking review of the literature and of the most recent advances in the field of temporo-mandibular disorders (TMD). He stresses the need to carefully consider the value of prosthetic and occlusal therapy in the treatment of patients, and make an accurate differential diagnosis between the various types of TMD before undertaking any type of treatment. Lastly, total edentulism is a problem that increasingly affects patients at an advanced age. These patients have less ability to adapt, and a surgical approach is described by Rolf Ewers for maxillary atrophy, a condition that, except in extreme cases, is usually effectively restored with conventional complete dentures. Our school has contributed a description of rehabilitation techniques using implant-retained complete denture, together with our research experience: the second half of what we like to call, - indeed, it has become a tradition - an update.The Editors F. BASSI, S. CAROSSA, G. GASSINO, G. MENICUCCI, M. MOZZATI, P. PERA, V. PREVIGLIANO. G. SCHIERANO, G. PRETI Prosthodontics Department, University of Turin, Italy