Risk for molars without antagonists: opinion of dental practitioners in Tanzania

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the opinion of dental practitioners in Tanzania with regard to the risk for molars without antagonists. Subjects and methods: A questionnaire was distributed to all 85 dental practitioners in three administrative regions in Tanzania. The questionnaire contained items to asses the opinion of the practitioners with regard to consequences of unopposed molars, patients' complaints about molars without antagonists and the routine treatment (or no treatment) to patients with such dentitions. Results: The great majority of practitioners (92%) believed that unopposed molars overerupt markedly and majority (87%) recommends replacement of the missing antagonist with partial dentures while 13% preferred to wait and see. The main reasons for the suggested treatment were (1) to prevent overeruption of unopposed teeth (90%), (2) to prevent impairment of chewing function (92%) and to prevent development of Temporomandibular Disorders (68%). However, only three practitioners (5%) indicated complaints of patients due to unopposed posterior teeth. Conclusion: Despite the limitations of the sample, the data suggests that Tanzanian dental practitioners perceive that molars without antagonists overerupt markedly and that they are a risk for impaired chewing function and Temporomandibular Disorders. Tanzania Dental Journal Vol. 13(1) 2006: 18-22