Resumo

NAIDOO, N; MOIPOLAI, PD  e  MOTLOBA, PD. A Comparison of Convergence Angles of Crown preparations in an undergraduate programme at a Tertiary Institution. S. Afr. dent. j. [online]. 2021, vol.76, n.10, pp.602-606. ISSN 0375-1562.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2519-0105/2021/v76no10a3.

INTRODUCTION: The retention of indirect dental restorations is of concern for clinicians as it influences the success of clinical outcomes. Retention and resistance are dependent on many factors including the convergence angles of the opposing axial wall tapers. Adequate axial wall taper is important in crown preparation to improve physical retention and increase resistance of the restoration. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare the convergence angles (CA) of KaVo® teeth prepared for full coverage crown restorations by fourth year dental students in a preclinical fixed prosthodontics module in a Ave year dentistry training programme METHODOLOGY: Crown preparations produced by fourth year dental students at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU), South Africa, over a period of 3 years were included in this study. These preparations were digitally captured using CAD-CAM imaging technology. The images were analysed in ImageJ® software to determine the mesio-distal convergence angles. Statistical analysis was undertaken using SPSS ver. 27 for Windows. RESULTS: The overall mean convergence angle of 15.38° ± 6.68° was computed for n=75 crown preparations. ANOVA revealed a significant difference (p<0.05) in the CA among the three cohorts (2017: 16.87° ± 6.94°; 2018: 17.23° ± 6.13°; 2019: 12.02° ± 5.86°). A reasonable proportion of dental students n=25 (33%) achieved the recommended CA of 6° to 12°. CONCLUSION: This study indicates that with objective evaluation tools, it is possible to improve on the intended guidelines for crown preparations during undergraduate teaching and training in pre-clinical Fixed Prosthodontics.

Palavras-chave : Convergence angles; full coverage crown preparation; dental students; preclinical prosthodontics.

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