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One-year prosthetic outcomes with implant overdentures: a randomized clinical trial
Joanne N Walton1, Michael I MacEntee, Ned Glick
1Department of Oral Health Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. jnwalton@interchange.ubc.ca
Purpose:
This randomized clinical trial examined implant overdenture (IOD) fabrication and maintenance time and costs, adjustment and repair incidence, and patient satisfaction after 1 year.
Materials And Methods:
Sixty-four patients received 2 mandibular implants and an IOD with either a bar with 2 clips or 2 ball attachments for denture retention.
Results:
Fabrication time, number of appointments, and chair time for adjustments were similar for the 2 denture designs. The most common adjustments for both types were to the IOD contours. Ball-attachment dentures required about 8 times longer for repairs than bar-clip prostheses. Approximately 84% of patients with ball-attachment dentures needed at least 1 repair, versus 20% of those with a bar-clip mechanism. The most common repairs were replacement of the cap spring or cap for the ball-attachment IOD and replacement of a lost or loose clip for bar-clip dentures.
Discussion:
Patients were equally and highly satisfied with the improvements in function, comfort, and appearance with both types of IOD compared to their original conventional dentures.
Conclusions:
Given equivalent levels of patient satisfaction with either method of retention and a much higher repair rate for the ball attachment, it is suggested that a bar-clip design be used rather than the particular ball attachment utilized in this study.