Mandibular Overdentures Supported by Two vs Four Endosteal Implants: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Prosthodontics

Background:

• Marginal bone resorption around implant-supported mandibular overdentures is not well-documented.
• Limited data exists comparing outcomes for two versus four implants supporting mandibular overdentures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate marginal bone resorption, survival rates, patient satisfaction, peri-implant soft tissue status, and prosthetic aftercare.
• To compare outcomes of mandibular overdentures supported by two implants versus four implants.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of 92 edentulous patients.
• Comparison of overdentures supported by two implants (n=46) versus four implants (n=46).
• Radiographic and clinical evaluations after 2 years of functional loading.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in clinical or radiographic parameters between the two-implant and four-implant groups (p > 0.05).
• Implant survival rates were comparable, with only two implant losses in the two-implant group.
• Patient satisfaction and prosthetic aftercare showed no significant differences between groups (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

• Two or four implants can equally support mandibular overdentures effectively.
• Both configurations yielded similar clinical and radiographic results over a 2-year evaluation period.
• Successful outcomes are achievable with either two or four implants for mandibular overdentures.