Abstract:
Dental implants have become a common method of replacing some missing teeth in otherwise dentate patients but have failures in both the short and the long term often as a result of peri-implantitis. This may be initiated by occlusal trauma, the most likely cause of early implant bone loss. Occlusal trauma is associated with a 20 to 50 per cent rate of peri-implantitis. An excessive occlusal height of 100 microns may be the threshold for bone loss. Patient selection is all important. Good oral hygiene and a stable occlusion without bruxism are key features. Secondly, the function of the periodontal ligament allowing natural teeth to intrude into the alveolar bone in contrast to the fixed, osteo-integrated implant has to be taken into consideration when checking the occlusion during the fit stage of implant restorations. A method of ensuring accurate, trauma free occlusion will be described.
Biography:
Christopher Turner qualified from the Royal Dental Hospital of London with the degree of bachelor of dental surgery with distinctions in 1968 and spent the first few years working in general practice before undertaking higher training in restorative dentistry in London and newcastle upon tyne. During this time, he passed the fellowship in dentistry examinations of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and gained his master of dental surgery degree. In 1979, aged 34 years, he was appointed as a consultant/senior lecturer in the University of Sheffield Dental School with the remit to establish new department and a self-contained multi-surgery unit, separate from the School, for final year dental students to help them make the transition to qualified general practitioner. This was the first unit of its kind in the UK, has been copied and continues in the same building today. Then in 1984, he moved to an NHS appointment as director of dental services in salisbury. He took early retirement from the NHS in 2000 to establish a multidisciplinary private referral practice before retiring in 2012. He has always had an interest in prevention and plaque control and the links between diabetes mellitus and periodontitis, and is the inventor of the Chooseabrush® method to help patients with gingival recession optimise their oral health.
