Prosthetic modalities used to treat cleft palate patients in a university clinic: a 10-year review.

Cleft palate patients are not usually seen in general dental clinics, but this congenital anomaly is one of the most frequent of cases. General dental practitioners are usually unwilling or/and not sufficiently trained to treat such patients for whom rehabilitation and interdisciplinary cooperation is often needed. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of prosthetic modalities most frequently used by licensed prosthodontists for prosthetic rehabilitation of cleft palate patients. Participants in this study were 56 cleft palate patients (aged 23-66 years) who received prosthetic treatment between 2000 and 2010. Patients' dental status and prosthetic modalities used were noted from patient records archived at Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb. Data analyses revealed that combined prosthetic constructions (fixed + removable, p < 0.05) were the most frequently used. In a group of molar teeth, the most frequent fixed prosthetic modalities were crowns with rests; in a group of premolar teeth, telescopic crowns; on canines, metal ceramic crowns and telescopic crowns; and in a group of incisors, metal ceramic pontics (p < 0.05). Understanding the distribution of prosthetic modalities for cleft palate patients could serve to guide dental practitioners towards planning adequate prosthetic treatment for their patients since only a well-planned prosthetic therapy will result in satisfactory function and alleviation of the deformities.