If prosthodontic treatment is considered after periodontal
therapy, the questions arise i) does prosthodontic treatment affect the treatment outcome of the dentition in general and ii) which type of
prosthesis is related to best treatment outcome of abutment teeth? Our goal was to compare long-term
tooth loss after comprehensive periodontal
therapy in patients with or without prosthodontic treatment. Ninety patients' charts with a total of 1937 teeth who had received comprehensive periodontal treatment 5-17 years ago by the same periodontist were retrospectively evaluated. Sixty-five patients received fixed
dental prostheses (
FDP; n = 29) and/or
removable partial dentures anchored with clips (RPDC; n = 25) or double
crowns (RPDD; n = 25). Twenty-five patients were also periodontally compromised but treated without prosthodontic treatment and served as a control group. A total of 317 teeth and 70 abutment teeth were lost during 9.7 ± 4.1 years of observation. Thereof, 273 teeth and 48 abutment teeth were lost due to periodontal reasons. Mean
tooth loss amounted to 1.2 ± 1.5 (controls) and 4.4 ± 3.4 (
partial dentures). Abutment
tooth loss was 0.4 ± 1.1 (
FDP), 1.0 ± 1.2 (RPDC) and 1.3 ± 1.0 (RPDD). Poisson regressions identified prosthodontic treatment, age, socio-economic status,
diabetes mellitus, mean initial bone loss and
aggressive periodontitis as factors significantly contributing to
tooth loss. Age, diabetes and non-compliance contributed to abutment
tooth loss. Not considering biomechanical factors, patients with prosthodontic reconstructions under long-term supportive periodontal
therapy were at higher risk for further
tooth loss than patients without
prostheses. Not only the type of
partial denture but also the patient-related risk factors were associated with abutment
tooth loss.