SHORTENED DENTAL ARCH CONCEPT

In the practical application of dentistry, the idea of completion of missing teeth is in the foreground. for this reason, prosthetic treatments have an important place in clinical practices. while a prosthetic treatment is applied, adaptation of dental arch, relationship with between oral tissues and temporo mandibular joint increase the success of prosthesis. in addition, completion of missing teeth satisfies the patients with the aesthetic and functional maintenance. however, when the prosthetic treatment could not be applied due to economic and social reasons, instead different treatment methods have been developed. as a result of this, shortened dental arches (sda) have been introduced as an alternative concept to the prosthodonty and offer some conservative approaches instead of conventional prothesis to patients with missing teeth. in this review, the shortened dental arches and its relationship between masticatory system are described.