Change in subjective oral health after single dental implant treatment

The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in subjective oral health among patients receiving single dental implants in different anatomic locations.

Subjective oral health was surveyed with the Oral Health Impact Profile 14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire after implant placement but prior to uncovering and 3 months after the completion of treatment. The locations of the implants and age and gender of the patients were recorded. Mean OHIP-14 severity scores were compared before and after treatment (paired t test).

Ninety consecutive self-referred patients were enrolled in the study, and 80 of them (28 men and 52 women) completed the OHIP-14 both before and after treatment. The mean age of the patients at the time of surgery was 52 years (range, 24 to 75 years). The patients received a total of 131 commercially available dental implants (Astra Tech) and appropriate prosthetic constructions. The mean OHIP-14 severity score decreased significantly, from 10.4 before treatment to 3.1 after treatment (P < .001). The drop was from 13.4 to 1.5 (P < .001) if the missing tooth was replaced with an implant in the anterior area, from 11.2 to 4.3 (P < .001) if it was replaced in the premolar area, and from 6.5 to 3.0 (P = .085) if it was replaced in the molar area. In general, both before and after treatment, women reported subjective oral impacts approximately three times more often than men did.

Replacement of missing teeth with single dental implants in anterior and premolar areas, but not necessarily in molar areas, may significantly improve subjective oral health, especially among women.