Gustavo Oliveira DDS’s research while affiliated with University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and other places

Objectives: This research aims to retrospectively evaluate the clinical performance of Carolina bridge (CB) placed at a dental school. Materials and methods: Data were collected from the electronic patient record system. A follow-up letter was sent to the subjects' mailing address explaining the research purpose along with a questionnaire to assess their satisfaction with the treatment. A phone interview was performed to assess patient satisfaction, function, and choice of permanent restoration. Finally, a clinical exam was conducted for patients that agreed to come for a follow-up and still had their CBs. Results: Twenty-three patients with 26 resin-bonded CBs met the inclusion criteria. All patients who did the phone interview reported to be very satisfied with the treatment. Most chose to keep the CB as definitive treatment and not to move forward with implant therapy. According to the number of rebonding needed to maintain the CB, the types of survival were analyzed as 42.3% complete survival (no rebonding needed), 26.9% functional survival (rebonded once), 23.1% survival with multiple rebondings, 7.6% failure. Conclusion: The performance of CBs revealed highly acceptable performance with high-patient satisfaction. Clinical significance: Carolina ridge is an esthetic and conservative interim treatment option that can be utilized in favorable clinical situations.