Microstomia is an abnormally reduced oral aperture. In the literature, it is not classified by any particular size criteria, rather defined by its effects on function and esthetics. Prosthodontic management of edentulous patients with microstomia is a challenging task. Use of conventional methods for recording an impression and fabricating prosthesis is not effective in such patients. To fabricate well-fitting prosthesis, accuracy of impression recording important anatomic landmarks is essential. Formation of an exacting custom tray and diagnostic cast is critical for final impression accuracy. Provision of a well-fitting prosthesis in microstomia patient will restore esthetics, comfort, and function with oral and systemic patient wellbeing. This paper presents a case report of managing an edentulous microstomia patient with sectional removable prosthesis. Furthermore, it proposes a novel classification system for microstomia patients according to severity of the condition.

Objective: To assess the awareness of denture cleansers and its recognition among dental professionals in Karachi, Pakistan. Study Design and Setting: Cross-sectional study conducted at various institutes and hospitals of Karachi, over a period of 06 months from March to August’ 2019. Methodology: Total 200 dental practitioners were included in this study using nonprobability convenience sampling technique and according to the inclusion criteria. Those dental practitioners who were currently in practice; either at a hospital or clinic setting were included; others who were not in practice or only working as an academician were excluded. This study was conducted by administering a well-structured questionnaire, comprising of 12 close ended questions divided into two sections including demography and responses concerning the knowledge and attitude of dental practitioners regarding denture cleansers. The data was entered in SPSS version 25 for descriptive statistics for qualitative variables. Results: The study showed that 86.5% dentists were aware of denture cleansers and 89% prescribe them. However,58.5% were not aware of the adverse effects. Conclusion: Our analysis has shown that the dental professionals reinforce oral hygiene instructions in their dental practice and prescribe denture cleansers according to need. However, the knowledge regarding adverse effects among the subjects should be addressed

Objectives: To assess the concepts of complete denture occlusion among dental fraternity. Study Design And Setting: Cross-sectional study conducted at various dental hospitals and institutes of Karachi, for a period of six months, from 1st June’2019 to 30th November’2019 Methodology: Total 849 dental practitioners who are currently practising were included. A well-structured and validated questionnaire was used for data collection. SPSS version 25 was used. Results: Bilateral balanced occlusion was an ideal occlusion by majority subjects i.e, 530(62.4%) in patients with wellformed ridges, followed by 464(54.7%) candidates with skeletal class 1, total 376(44.3%) chose it with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, 365(43%) in single complete denture cases, 339(39.9%) with increased inter-arch space, 298(35.1%) with parafunction habits, 296(34.9%) in patients with history of neuromuscular disorder and 271(31.9%) where a complete denture opposes a removable partial denture. Furthermore, Lingualized occlusion was preferred by 341(40.25%) participants for patients with skeletal class 3. Total 316(37.2%) candidates chose it for patients with displaceable supporting tissue followed by 264(31.1%) who chose it for skeletal 2 and 260(30.6%) for cases of highly resorbed ridges. Lastly, 311(36.6%) chose canine guided occlusion with highly resorbed ridges accompanied by high aesthetic demand A significant difference between education level and knowledge of occlusal schemes was also found. Chi-square (73.87), df 6, p-value =0.000. Conclusion: Dental practitioners lack adequate knowledge of occlusal schemes in terms of prescription in complete denture patients. A significant difference between the education level and knowledge of occlusal schemes was found. Therefore, awareness of various occlusal schemes should be increased at undergraduate level.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the dental practitioner's knowledge, attitude and practice towards dental implants. METHODOLOGY: This study was carried out from May'2019 - Oct 2019. 752 dental practitioners who were currently practicing were included in the study. A well-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. SPSS-25 was used for statistical analysis. Spearman correlation was used to find the effect of gender, knowledge and attitude. The P <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In this study 80.9% dental practitioners were aware of the appropriate implant material while, 57.9% had knowledge about the types. 30.3% knew about the implant surface modifications whereas 46.1% dentists were aware of possible implant placement approaches. 49.3% believed that the distance between dental implants to be 3mm and between a dental implant and natural tooth to be 1.5 mm. 76% dentists claimed that dental implants have biomechanical complications. Whereas 67.8% knew about the Branemark's theory of osseointegration. Regarding the attitude of dental practitioners, 28.9% had received implant hands on trainings while 9% felt competent to place an implant. CONCLUSION: This study describes that dental practitioners had an appropriate knowledge of each aspect of implantology. Moreover despite the fact majority felt that they are not competent enough to practice it. Thus, it is important that the curriculum, teaching standards, the materials and methods regarding dental implants need to be reviewed and more exposure of hands-on workshops is to be provided not only for the graduates but also the undergraduates during their clinical learning. KEYWORDS: Dental Implants, Dentist's opinion, Knowledge HOW TO CITE: Ahmed N, Abbasi MS, Mariam Q, William H, Iftikhar H, Badar H, Irfan AB. Analysis of dental practitioners perception towards dental implants. J Pak Dent Assoc 2021;30(1):45-49

Objective: To identify the most common complaint areas in patients wearing complete dentures and evaluate the relationship of denture discomfort with systemic diseases. Study Design: Descriptive cross sectional study. Place and Duration: Department of Prosthodontics, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi, from 1st June 2018 to 30th November 2019. Methodology: Both male and female patients with edentate upper/lower or both arches, rehabilitated with conventional complete dentures were included in the study. At the follow up visit, clinical evaluation of patient’s oral cavity was carried out. The frequency of the post insertion complaints at particular intraoral areas was noted along with demographics and systemic disease in a self- structured validated questionnaire. Results: In maxilla (N=551), the most common complaint areas were the labial vestibule and labial frenum with pain (30.9%) and ulceration (4.9%) being the most common complaints. In mandible (N=551), anterior ridge crest was the most common complaint with pain (18.7%) and ulceration (6.5%).A significance difference (p= <0.001) was found in relationship of pain with systematic disease. A significant relationship was also found between gender and complaint areas. Conclusion: Pain and ulceration were the most prevalent complaints reported by new complete denture wearers. Moreover, the labial frenum and vestibule in maxilla and anterior alveolar ridge crest in the mandible were the most common intraoral complaint zones identified in this study. Keywords: Adaptation, Complete Denture, Oral health, Prosthodontics, Postoperative, Rehabilitation