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Review
. 2020 Jul-Sep;20(3):237-243.
doi: 10.4103/jips.jips_402_19. Epub 2020 Jul 17.

Utility versus futility of facebow in the fabrication of complete dentures: A systematic review

Poonam Prakash  1 , Kirandeep Singh  1 , Rahul Bahri  1 , S K Bhandari  1
Affiliations
Review

Utility versus futility of facebow in the fabrication of complete dentures: A systematic review

Poonam Prakash et al. J Indian Prosthodont Soc. 2020 Jul-Sep.

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this review was to investigate utility or futility of facebow for fabrication of complete denture prosthesis to maximise clinical efficiency and acceptability of complete dentures.

Settings and design: Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.

Materials and methods: A study question was designed based on PICOT model which was used to evaluate whether facebow transfer is required or not for fabrication of complete denture prosthesis. An extensive search was carried out manually and using electronic databases such as PubMed-Medline, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Clinicaltrials.gov. Parameters under review included patient satisfaction, masticatory efficiency, occlusal adjustments, clinician time, stability and retention. Boolean operators, MeSH terms and limiters were applied to develop the search and reach to conclusive studies pertaining to study design. Literature dated between 1950 and 2019 were selected. The data extraction and assessment of the studies was done by two independent investigators.

Statistical analysis used: No meta-analysis was conducted due to heterogeneity of data obtained.

Results: 13690 studies were shortlisted, 13672 were excluded based on title and abstract. By the end of search phase, 07 RCTs were considered relevant. 04 studies concluded comparable/ no differences in outcome with and without use of facebow for fabrication of complete denture prostheses, whereas 03 studies concluded better results without the use of facebow.

Conclusion: The use of facebow results in fabrication of complete denture prostheses with similar results in terms of clinical efficiency and patient acceptability as compared to simplified techniques using anatomical landmarks. Variations in assessment criteria, non uniform distribution of sample size amongst different clinical trials and subjective questionnaire based criteria are the weaker links in the review. Extensive research and long term standardised studies with objective criteria for assessment are required for comprehensive and conclusive results to establish the need for change in clinical practice.

Keywords: Complete dentures; facebow; randomized clinical trial.

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Conflict of interest statement

There are no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Studies assessed and excluded at various stages of review
Figure 3
Figure 3
Overall risk of bias in the studies included in the present systematic review
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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