Current Trends and Practices Followed by Dental Technicians and Dentists in Fixed Crown and Bridges in India: A Cross-sectional Survey

Aim: To identify the current materials, design, communication and disinfection status followed by the dental laboratories in India regarding fixed prosthodontics. Materials and methods: A prepiloted anonymous questionnaire containing 27 questions related to fixed prosthodontics was send to 472 laboratories in India. Information was obtained regarding procedure and materials for fixed prosthesis, die technique, accuracy of casts, design, communication, shade selection and disinfection practices followed by the laboratories. Questionnaire data were entered into a computer and analyzed using SPSS version 12.0 (SPSS, Inc, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: Two hundred and sixteen of 472 dental laboratories responded (45.76% response rate). Most common pontic design in both arches was ridge lap. One hundred and fifty-four (71.29%) laboratories presented that most of the casts were not articulated. Majority of impression (66.20%) received are not accurate enough for laboratories to do their best work. One hundred and eighty (82.8%) laboratories have stated that less than 25% casts were disinfected. Most of the dentists (65.74%) were not sending work authorization form and those who were sending are not complete enough (63.42%). Conclusion: The finding in this study indicated the weakness in technique and design of fixed prosthesis along with poor communication between dentists and laboratories in India.