Edentulism Case Study

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Definition: It is the condition in which no teeth is present in the oral cavity. It is not limited only on old patients, but also it can occur due to repeated extraction of teeth due to dental caries, or periodontal diseases. Moreover, the rates of edentulism increases as age increases, and in communities where they suffer from loss of education.
Sequelae (Consequences) of complete Edentulism:
I) Consequences on the Bony Structure: Fig:1: Bone loss in the edentulous area
Normally, teeth stimulate the surrounding bone by compressive and tensile forces, these forces have a piezoelectric effect (which is the ability of a material to give an electric charge in response to mechanical stress) on the crystals and durapatite that synthesize the inorganic …show more content…

It affects the mandible more than the maxilla that will affect the facial appearance and substantial modifications in the soft-tissue profile (e.g protrusion of the mandible,lip and chin). Bone loss will accelerate, as long as the patient is not wearing a denture, and if the patient wears any poorly fitting soft tissue prosthesis. Teeth loss leads to remodeling and resorption of the surrounding alveolar bone, thus leading to atrophic edentulous ridges. Gender, hormones, metabolism, parafunction and ill-fitting dentures are considered as factors that increase the amount of bone …show more content…

• Decrease in the facial height Fig: 7: Comparison in the facial height (from dentulous to edentulous state)
• Loss of the labiomental angle which will create a harsh appearance.

Fig: 8: Labiomental angle
• Decrease in the vertical dimension, leading to pseudo-class III malocclusion.
• Rotation of the chin forward creates a prognathic facial appearance. Fig: 9: Chin Rotation
• Decrease in the horizontal labial angle at the lips' corner.
• This short facial appearance, allows the performance of higher bite forces, leading to greater bone loss.
• Thinning of the vermillion border of the lips. Fig:10: Vermillion border in edentulous patient
• Deepening of the nasiolabial groove in the upper lip, so the nose will appear larger and increase in the philtrum angle.
• Maxillary lip becomes longer due to loss of muscle tone.
• The attachment between the body of the mandible and the mentalis and buccinator muscle is affected due to bone atrophy. Fig: 11: Facial Appearance of an edentulous patient
IV) Nutritional Problems:
• Masticatory efficiency will

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