Do implant overdentures improve dietary intake? A randomized clinical trial

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Dental Prosthetics
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Conventional complete dentures (CD) offer limited chewing efficiency.
• Mandibular two-implant overdentures (IOD) improve chewing function but their impact on nutrition is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the dietary intake of edentate elders wearing mandibular IOD versus CD.
• To assess differences in total dietary fiber (TDF), macronutrients, micronutrients, and energy consumption.

Main Methods:

• A randomized clinical trial (RCT) involving 255 edentate patients aged ≥ 65 years.
• Participants received either a maxillary CD with a mandibular IOD or a maxillary CD with a mandibular CD.
• Dietary intake was assessed at one year using 24-hour dietary recalls from 217 participants.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in the mean or median intake of TDF, macronutrients, micronutrients, or energy between the IOD and CD groups (p > .05).
• The study was adequately powered to detect potential nutritional differences.

Conclusions:

• Despite reported quality-of-life improvements, mandibular IOD do not confer nutritional advantages over conventional complete dentures in independently living, medically healthy edentate elders.
• Dietary intake remains comparable between the two denture types one year post-delivery.