Fixed Dental Restorations and the Periodontium: Is it Time to Bury Some Skeletons?

It is without a doubt that, during the course of prosthodontic therapy, the periodontum is the main anatomic area where technology meets biology. In other words, it is in this location that the effects of tooth preparation, treatment delivery, prostheses material and design can affect the response of the periodontum. This presentation will expand on the collaborative work and evidence that was at the basis of the AAP World Workshop on the Classification of Periodontal and Peri-Implant Diseases and Conditions related to the role that prostheses and prosthodontic procedures may have on the initiation and development of gingivitis and periodontitis. It will expand to include not only the periodontal effects of fixed prostheses and procedures, but also highlight more specifically the role that margin placement, gingival displacement procedures, emergence profile, overhangs, biologic width and different types of tooth preparation have on the periodontum.