Mandibular implant-supported removable partial denture with distal extension: a systematic review

The aim of this article is to investigate patient satisfaction, survival rate of implants, and prosthetic complications or maintenance for rehabilitation with removable partial dentures associated with implants in mandibular Kennedy class I and II cases. A systematic literature review was conducted by three independent reviewers including articles published from January 1981 through September 2011. Medline and Cochrane Library electronic databases were used in addition to hand searching to assess clinical outcomes for mandibular implant-supported removable partial denture with distal extension. This review yielded 1751 records that were narrowed down to 5. The studies revealed implant survival rates ranging from 95% to 100% with one failure reported of 98 implants. The removable partial dentures associated with implant in mandibular free-end arches showed some complications and need of repair for relining, pitting of the healing abutment, replacement of resilient component of the attachment, damage in framework, screw loosening and damage in acrylic denture base. Patient satisfaction was evaluated through a five-point questionnaire, and results ranged between 4.12 and 5.0, considering 1 as the least favourable situation. The literature review showed increase in patient satisfaction and high survival rates of implants associated with mandibular removable partial dentures with distal extensions. However, some complications and need of prosthetic repair were reported. Although this treatment approach could represent a low-cost and beneficial rehabilitation for free-end mandibular ridges, the lack of controlled and randomised well-designed clinical trials suggests further studies with more representative samples to validate the outcomes of this treatment modality.