A fractal evaluation study of implant-supported overdentures

Area of Science:

• Dental Implantology
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Conventional complete dentures often lead to mandibular bone resorption.
• Implant-supported overdentures offer improved stability and function for edentulous patients.
• Assessing bone changes is crucial for long-term implant success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate mandibular bone changes in fully edentulous patients after treatment with two implant-supported overdentures.
• To compare trabecular bone complexity using fractal analysis (FA) between conventional dentures and implant-supported overdentures.
• To analyze bone structural changes in specific mandibular regions: condyle, angle, and anterior to the mental foramen.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 27 fully edentulous patients was studied.
• Panoramic radiographs were taken before (control) and 4 years after implant-supported overdenture treatment (study).
• Fractal analysis (FA) was employed to measure trabecular bone complexity in three regions of interest (ROI) on both sides of the mandible.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences in fractal dimension (FD) were observed between the control and study groups across all evaluated ROIs (P = .001).
• No significant differences in FD were found between the right and left sides of the mandible for any ROI.
• FA demonstrated increased trabecular bone complexity following implant-supported overdenture treatment.

Conclusions:

• Implant-supported overdentures promote more complex trabecular bone structures in the mandible compared to conventional complete dentures.
• The findings suggest a positive impact of implant overdentures on maintaining or improving mandibular bone quality.
• Fractal analysis is a valuable tool for quantifying bone structural changes in response to prosthetic treatment.