No abstract

No abstract

Objectives To investigate the chewing efficiency and oral health‐related quality of life of edentulous patients wearing complete dentures, successively supported by one, two, and three implants in the mandible. Methods Thirteen (13) edentulous patients of at least 50 years of age received three implants in the mandible. After a conventional submerged healing period, the central implant was uncovered and connected to the denture base using a stud attachment. Two months later, chewing efficacy was evaluated, and the two lateral implants were uncovered and connected to the denture base. The central retention element was replaced by a short healing abutment with no connection to the denture base. Chewing efficiency was evaluated two months later. Afterward, the healing abutment of the central implant was replaced by a stud attachment and again connected to the denture base. Two months later, chewing efficacy was evaluated again. Oral health‐related quality of life (OHRQoL) was measured at each recall visit using the summary score of the oral health impact profile. For statistical analysis of chewing efficacy, the changes from baseline (with no implants) to one, two, and three implants were used and tested by analysis of variance with repeated mesurements. Results Chewing efficacy clearly increased after implant loading, with a significant increase when two implants were loaded (p ≤ .05), compared to the chewing efficacy with no implants. OHRQoL also significantly improved after implant loading. Conclusions Within the limitations of the present clinical trial regarding the number of patients, chewing efficacy as well OHRQoL of edentulous patients improve after implant placement in the mandible, irrespective of the number of implants. The best chewing efficacy was achieved with two implants.

This clinical study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of resin-bonded attachments (RBAs) for precision-retained removable dental prostheses (RDPs) after at least two years of clinical maintenance. Methods: Since December 1998, 205 RBAs (44 bonded to posterior teeth, 161 to anterior teeth) have been inserted in 123 patients (62 females and 61 males; mean age, 63.6 ± 9.6 years) who were recalled annually. The abutment teeth underwent a minimally invasive preparation limited to the enamel. RBAs were cast in a cobalt-chromium alloy with a minimum thickness of 0.5 mm and adhesively luted with a luting composite resin (Panavia 21 Ex or Panavia V5, Kuraray, Japan). We evaluated caries activity, plaque index, periodontal condition, and tooth vitality. The Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to account for the reasons for failure. Results:The mean observation time of RBAs until the last recall visit was 84.5 ± 51.3 months (range, 3.6-270.6). During the observation period, 33 RBAs debonded in 27 patients (16.1%). The 10-year success rate according to the Kaplan-Meier analysis was 58.4%, which dropped to 46.2% after 15 years of observation if debonding was considered a failure. If rebonded RBAs were regarded as surviving, the 10-and 15-year survival rates would be 68.3% and 61%, respectively. Conclusions: The use of RBAs for precision-retained RDPs appears to be a promising alternative to conventionally retained RDPs. As reported in the literature, the survival rate and frequency of complications were comparable with those of conventional crown-retained attachments for RDPs.