ASSESMENT AND PRACTICE OF FIXED PROSTHETIC RESTORATION IN THE CITY OF ANTANANARIVO, MADAGASCAR

Abstract

The aim of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to describe the attitude and practice of odontostomatologists towards fixed prosthetics.

A survey based on a questionnaire containing 6 items concerning socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, attitude, practice of standard guidelines on pre-prosthetic preparation and on impression taking was carried out among 114 odontostomatologists in practice in the urban commune of Antananarivo Madagascar  in 2023, practicing fixed prosthetic restoration. Univariate and bivariate analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 software. The Chi² test was used to compare proportions. The differenceis significant for p<0.05 with a confidence level of 95%.

The sex ratio was 1.59; 77.2% worked in private practices; 59.6% worked less than 8 hours a day; 62.3% treated fewer than 10 patients a day. All (100%) of those surveyed offered their patients a prosthetic restoration. When preparing abutment teeth, 34.2% took a preoperative radiograph, 12.3% used a retraction cord, 75.4% used diamond burs. For the impression, 55.3% used alginate, 92.1% always disinfected it.  The use of standard guidelines for fixed prosthetic restorations was influenced by gender (p=0.029), post-graduate training (p=0.001), place of practice (p=0.006), number of years in practice (p=0.01).

A more in-depth and wider-ranging study of odontostomatologistspractising throughout Madagascar would be desirable to fully identify the reality of their practice.