Failure of dental bridges. II. Prevalence of failure and its relation to place of construction

In this investigation 156 dental bridges, constructed for 132 individuals, were evaluated. The bridges inserted at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University (KSU), Saudi Arabia, were compared with those placed in general dental practice. The results revealed that the rate of bridge failure averaged 35.5%. This was made up from failure of bridges inserted at KSU at (15.4%) and those in general dental practice (46.2%). The major reasons for failure revealed by this study were periodontal disease (36.6%) and secondary caries (23.2%). The average lifespan for the bridges was 6.1 years with 4.5 years for the unfailed bridges. The most commonly used material for bridges was metal-ceramics. The most commonly used pontic design was the modified ridge lap (50.8%), but the saddle type accounted for the greatest percentage of failures (59.6%).