A Questionnaire Study of Japanese Dentists’ Perceptions of Risks for Overeruption of Molars without Antagonists and Attitude on Prosthetic Intervention

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this questionnaire study was to survey Japanese dentists’ perceptions of risks for overeruption of unopposed molars and dentists’ attitudes to prosthetic intervention.Methods: A clinical situation with a 42-year-old male patient who just had lost the left mandibular molars was presented. A series of questions was provided regarding what would most probably occur with the unopposed maxillary molars within a 10-year period, what treatment to propose, and indications for the proposed treatment. The questionnaire was sent to the council members of the Japanese prosthodontic society, doctors of Matsumoto Dental University, members of the Nagano and Niigata prefecture dental societies via letter, facsimile or E-mail.Results: 887 of 1320 (67%) dentists returned completed questionnaires. The great majority believed that overeruption of the unopposed molars would occur within a 10-year period (94%). 87% of respondents wanted to perform prosthetic treatment. In contrast, a “wait-and-see” alternative was chosen by only 12%. The most commonly suggested indications for the treatments were the risk for overeruption (96%) followed by impaired masticatory function (77%) and development of TMD (73%).Conclusion: To date, the majority of Japanese dentists seem to believe that overeruption of molars would occur after extraction of antagonists, and that prosthetic interventions are necessary to prevent possible clinical problems.