The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) recognizes its own with National Prosthodontics Awareness Week (NPAW) through April 9, spotlighting one of the 9 dental specialties recognized by the ADA. The celebration educates patients about the care that prosthodontists provide while providing new resources for these practitioners, too.
“To honor 2016 National Prosthodontics Awareness Week, the ACP will be offering free access to selected research from the Journal of Prosthodontics,” said president Carl F. Driscoll, DMD. “This could not have occurred at a better time, as the ACP has just released groundbreaking Clinical Practice Guidelines, which will be available for free as selected peer-reviewed research, as a way to celebrate.”
More than 120 million Americans are missing one or more teeth, and between 35 million and 36 million Americans are missing all of their teeth in one or both jaws, according to the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control. Also, many studies have shown a correlation between missing one or more teeth and unfavorable health outcomes.
Keeping as many natural teeth as possible while getting missing or damaged teeth replaced or restored immediately mitigates many of these health risks, the ACP reports. To care for these replaced and restored teeth, the ACP released its Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) for Restored Teeth, which practitioners and patients alike can employ.
“Before the CPGs, we anecdotally understood some aspects of what worked to care for restored teeth, but we now have clinical guidelines that all dentists can use to provide for professional and at-home lifelong care options,” said Avinash Bidra, BDS, MS, FACP, lead author of the guidelines and NPAW chair.
Prosthodontists have advanced training in oral health issues. Their practices may involve implants, crowns, veneers, tooth whitening, full-mouth reconstruction, digital dentistry, cosmetic dentistry, and sleep apnea solutions. ACP members must be in or have completed an ADA-accredited advanced education program in prosthodontics.
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