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The number of damaged dentures and type of damage to removable dentures repaired in dental laboratories was investigated using a questionnaire sent to 24 dental laboratories in Finland. Eight variables were examined for each damaged denture. The results showed that the type of dentures most commonly needing repair was the complete upper denture (49%). The most frequent type of damage was breakdown of the acrylic base and loosening of an artificial tooth. The chi-square test established a statistical dependence (p < 0.005) between damaged dentures and their age. Damaged upper partial dentures most frequently had natural teeth or fixed prostheses as antagonist teeth. Damaged lower skeletal dentures and acrylic partial dentures had a complete denture as the antagonist (p < 0.05). Removable dentures made of acrylic resin material seemed to break despite strengtheners, such as clasp wire.

Microstructural changes, such as reduction of trabecular thickness and number, are characteristic signs of osteoporosis leading to diminished bone strength. Electrical and dielectric parameters might provide diagnostically valuable information on trabecular bone microstructure not extractable from bone mineral density measurements. In this study, structural properties of human trabecular bone samples (n=26) harvested from the distal femur and proximal tibia were investigated using the computed microtomography (microCT) technique. Quantitative parameters, e.g. structural model index (SMI) or trabecular bone volume fraction (BV/TV), were calculated. In addition, the samples were examined electrically over a wide frequency range (50 Hz-5 MHz) using a two-electrode impedance spectroscopy set-up. Relative permittivity, loss factor, conductivity, phase angle, specific impedance and dissipation factor were determined. Significant linear correlations were obtained between the dissipation factor and BV/TV or SMI (|r| 0.70, p<0.01, n=26). Principal component analyses, conducted on electrical and structural parameters, revealed that the high frequency principal component of the dissipation factor was significantly related to SMI (r=0.72, p<0.01, n=26). The linear combination of high and low frequency relative permittivity predicted 73% of the variation in BV/TV. To conclude, electrical and dielectric parameters of trabecular bone, especially relative permittivity and dissipation factor, were significantly and specifically related to a trabecular microstructure as characterized with microCT. The data gathered in this study constitute a useful basis for theoretical and experimental work towards the development of impedance spectroscopy techniques for detection of bone quality in vitro or in special cases of open surgery.