• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.176-190
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• 2005

Statement of problem. The current trend in prosthodontics is the adoption of a conservative approach to preparing dental prostheses by minimizing the amount of sound tooth structure removal during preparation. Purpose. The major disadvantage of the adhesion bridge is the inherently poor resistance to dislodgement that its use in areas subjected to high occlusal load is limited. The purpose of this study was to compare the dislodgement resistance of $Bio-pin^{(R)}$, conventional 3-unit and adhesion bridges. Material and methods. The experimental groups were classified as follows : Group I : 3-unit bridge cemented using $Super-Bond^{(R)}$ C&B Group II : Adhesion bridge cemented using $Super-Bond^{(R)}$ C&B Group III : $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ design adhesion bridge without incorporation of $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ (cemented using $Super-Bond^{(R)}$ C&B) Group IV-1 : $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ retained adhesion bridge incorporating a single $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ (cemented using $Super-Bond^{(R)}$ C&B) Group IV-2 : $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ retained adhesion bridge incorporating a single $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ (cemented using $Panavia^{(R)}$ F) Group V : $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ retained adhesion bridge incorporating two $Bio-pins^{(R)}$ (cemented using $Super-Bond^{(R)}$ C&B) Results. The results of this study were as follows : 1. Significant differences in dislodgement resistance of the restorations were found between Group I, Group II and Group III (p<0.05). No significant differences in dislodgement resistance of the restorations were observed between Group I Group IV-1 and Group V. However, there were significant differences in dislodgement resistance between Group II and the other groups (p<0.05). 2. No significant differences in dislodgement resistance of the restorations were observed between GroupIV-1 and GroupIV-2, both of which utilized a single $Bio-pin^{(R)}$. However, significant differences were observed when Group III was compared to either GroupIV-1 or Group V (p<0.05). 3. No significant differences in dislodgement resistance relative to the type of dental cements used were found. Conclusion. From the above results, it is concluded that the dislodgement resistance of $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ bridge restorations utilizing a single $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ is similar to that of a conventional 3-unit bridge. The results also suggest that $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ bridge restorations using a single $Bio-pin^{(R)}$ are a viable alternative to the conventional 3-unit bridge when minimal removal of sound tooth structure and fulfillment of both function and esthetic aspects are considered.