Overdentures may have little impact on nutrient status

Area of Science:

• Dental Prosthetics
• Nutritional Science
• Evidence Synthesis

Background:

• Nutritional status is crucial for overall health.
• Denture type may influence nutrient intake and nutritional status.
• Overdentures and conventional dentures are common prosthetic options.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and synthesize evidence on the impact of overdentures versus conventional dentures on nutritional status.
• To assess changes in macronutrient and micronutrient intake and nutritional indicators.

Main Methods:

• Searched Medline, Embase, and CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials (RCTs), cohort, and case-control studies.
• Two independent reviewers screened studies and extracted data.
• Meta-analysis was performed on three RCTs using a fixed effects model.

Main Results:

• Eight studies (901 patients) were included; six RCTs and two prospective cohort studies.
• No significant difference in change in body mass index (BMI) between overdenture and conventional denture groups (WMD = -0.18 kg/m2, 95% CI: -0.52 to 0.16).
• No significant differences observed in changes in albumin or serum vitamin B12 levels.

Conclusions:

• Overdenture treatment appears to have a limited effect on modifying nutritional status.
• Current evidence suggests comparable outcomes between overdentures and conventional dentures regarding nutritional indicators.
• Further high-quality studies are required to definitively evaluate the efficacy of different denture treatments on nutrition.