USING THERMOPLASTIC BASE MATERIALS IN THE CLINIC OF ORTHOPEDIC DENTISTRY IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE TOOTH LOSS

Background. Fabrication of high-quality removable orthopedic structures is one of the most important and still unsolved problems in the clinic of prosthetic dentistry. In order to solve this problem, in recent years, new basic dental materials have been developed and researched. Nowadays, orthopedic dentists are increasingly using acrylic-free thermoplastic base materials. They provide opportunities for the treatment of patients, contributing to the improvement of comfort, functionality and aesthetics of complete dentures. The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of using basic thermoplastic materials «Vertex ThermoSens» and «Deflex Acrylato» in an orthopedic dentistry clinic in patients with complete absence of teeth. Materials and methods. The base materials used in the study were polyamide (nylon) by «Vertex ThermoSens» (Netherlands) and thermoplastic material based on polymethyl methacrylate by «Deflex Acrylato» (Argentina). We treated 30 patients with complete absence of teeth who had been wearing complete removable dentures made of acrylic base dental materials for the past 4-5 years. New complete dentures were made of thermoplastic dental base materials «Vertex ThermoSens» and «Deflex Acrylato». The effectiveness of prosthetics was evaluated using electromyography of the masticatory muscles (immediately after prosthetics and in certain long-term periods). Results. When analyzing and statistically processing the electromyograms of patients of the first and second groups before prosthetics, the amplitude of compression during the «voluntary compression» test decreased to 188.91±5.16 μV and to 201.13±6.03 μV during the «voluntary chewing» test, which is significantly different from the norm. As for the assessment of the coefficient «K», which in patients with intact dentition is as close to one as possible, its value has almost doubled and is 2.32±0.07. After the orthopedic treatment, the clenching amplitude increases significantly, and the coefficient «K» approaches one. Quantitative indicators of electromyographic studies in patients of the first and second clinical groups after a month and a year of use of complete removable dentures almost do not differ from each other and are close to normal. Conclusions. Based on the research conducted in the clinic of prosthetic dentistry, we noted that in the manufacture of complete dentures from the base thermoplastic materials «Vertex ThermoSens» and «Deflex Acrylato», better fixation and stabilization of these structures is achieved due to a more accurate reflection of the relief of the mucous membrane of the prosthetic bed. Such prostheses are very well processed and polished, which significantly improves their quality and reduces the risk of inflammation of the prosthetic bed mucosa. Based on this, it can be concluded that adaptation to such prostheses takes place in a shorter time and almost without corrections.