Analysis of wedge-shaped defects’ prevalence and treatment effectiveness

Relevance. The prevalence of wedge-shaped defects remains high. The increased risk of the fi falling out, the development of a secondary defect around the filling, and the progression of the wedge-shaped defect development are characteristic of the operative treatment of this type of hard dental tissue non-carious lesions. Therefore, the search for new methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of wedge-shaped defects remains relevant in modern dentistry. Purpose. The study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of wedge-shaped dental defects and assess the effectiveness of a complex combined effect on dental tissues in non-carious lesions of hard dental tissues. Material and methods. We examined 942 patients aged 35 to 44 years. All underwent a dental examination, according to the WHO recommendations, questionnaire and instrumental diagnosis. Results . The dental examination detected wedge-shaped defects in 324 examined patients (34.4%). Upon presentation, patients with revealed stage I and II wedge-shaped defects complained of aesthetic dissatisfaction (11%), pain when eating (47%), and pain on brushing teeth (54%). According to the examination results before treatment, the volumetric blood flow velocity was 1.9 times lower in the group with a high degree of anxiety than in the group with a low degree of anxiety. The amplitude of the masticatory and temporal muscles at rest was 1.8 times higher in patients with a high anxiety degree than in patients with a low degree of anxiety. Conclusion . After a one-month course of treatment with the combined method proposed by us, the indicators of systolic volumetric blood flow velocity and the average amplitude of the masticatory and temporal muscles at rest in patients with high anxiety became comparable to those of the control group.