Convergence Angles of Clinical Tooth Preparations for Metal Ceramic Restorations Among Dental Students and General Practitioners

Abstract

Background: Numerous studies showed that the convergence angle (CA) of prepared teeth for fixed prosthodontics in the clinical practice is greater than the recommended values. Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to compare the total occlusal convergence (TOC) angles of metal ceramic fixed prosthodontics among dental students [final-year undergraduate (UG) and Master Prosthodontics (MS) students] and general practitioners (GP) in their private clinics with the recommended value (≤ 12 degrees). Methods: The buccolingual (BL) and mesiodistal (MD) TOC of 114, 90, and 111 stone dies referred to UG, MS, and GP, respectively, were measured. These dies included incisors, premolars, and molars. One sample Wilcoxon signed rank test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis, and Fisher exact test were used for statistical analysis. Results: Mean values of TOC for UG were 27.8 degrees BL and 20.9 degrees MD, whereas they were 30.6 degrees BL and 18.2 degrees MD for MS. GP had TOC of 35.5 degrees BL and 24 degrees MD. GP had significantly higher TOC values than the other groups (0.001

Influence of Operator Experience on Clinically Achieved Convergence Angle of Tooth Preparations for Metal-Ceramic Crowns

“…Different clinical expertise and limited time set for each patient in general practice were the most viable reasons behind these findings. Similar trends were reported by Hinnara et al 11 The specialists and students achieved somewhat similar convergence angle values, while general practitioners performed poorly with the highest angle values. This was explained by the fact that general practitioners were not following the theoretical guidelines more closely due to their continuous effort to reduce patient chair time.…”

“…Nonetheless, the results correspond closely to other cohort studies investigating the convergence angle of tooth preparations. The MCA in the present study was slightly lesser than only a few studies, including the ones by Hinnara et al 11 (26.3 degrees) and Al-Omari et al 12 (25.3 degrees). In contrast, the MCA value of the present study was considerably greater than most other studies on the subject, including the ones by Ghafoor et al 7 (22.72 degrees), Rafeek et al 13 (21.9 degrees), Noonan et al 14 (19.7 degrees) and Aleisa et al 3…”

Evaluating the effectiveness of a novel digital evaluation technology on dental preclinical crown preparation training

“…28 Several studies found that the mean convergence angle of final-year undergraduates was approximately 10 • -20 • . [29][30][31] Hinnara et al 32 reported a mean MD convergence angle of 20.9 • and a BL convergence angle of 27.8 • in final-year undergraduates, while master students in prosthodontics prepared a mean convergence angle of 18.2 • in MD and 30.6 • in BL. Moreover, general practitioners had mean values of 24.0 • in MD and 35.5 • in BL, which also exceeded the recommended values.…”

“…Several studies found that the mean convergence angle of final‐year undergraduates was approximately 10°‒20° 29–31 . Hinnara et al 32 . reported a mean MD convergence angle of 20.9° and a BL convergence angle of 27.8° in final‐year undergraduates, while master students in prosthodontics prepared a mean convergence angle of 18.2° in MD and 30.6° in BL.…”