[What happens to patients referred for implant evaluation? Treatment choice and patient response]

Case histories of patients referred to a university clinic for evaluation/treatment with implants were studied, regarding recommended and actually performed treatment. Patient reactions after treatment with conventional methods were also recorded. Three main groups attended: 1) Elderly, unsatisfied complete denture wearers. 2) Patients with few remaining teeth and an aversion against removable dentures. 3) Young patients with single teeth missing in an otherwise healthy dentition. Fifty-seven per cent of edentulous patients were recommended correction/replacement of their conventional full denture. Three out of four followed the recommendation. For jaws with a severely reduced dentition conventional prosthetic alternatives were advocated in 80 per cent of the cases. Corresponding treatment was carried out in 57 per cent of the cases, prosthetic appliances differing substantially from the suggested alternative in 26 per cent, and 17 per cent received no prosthetic treatment. Only few jaws required single tooth replacements. Every second patient who had this complete denture corrected or remade, considered implant therapy then superfluous. All complicated cases with extensive tooth loss were treated to the patients satisfaction, without using implant support, provided the treatment was referred to a colleague with specialist training. Forty per cent of similar cases remitted to their general practitioner did not receive any prosthetic treatment at all.