Overdenture prostheses on implants versus complete dentures

Objective: To establish the treatment outcome of implant retained overdentures (IRD) versus complete dentures (CD) in which the outcome assessment focuses on the patient's subjective evaluation ('denture-satisfaction and chewing ability').

Methods: A multicenter randomized clinical trial (prospective). Methods: The department of Oral Function and Prosthetic Dentistry of the University of Nijmegen, the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of the University Hospital Nijmegen and the department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics of the University Hospital Groningen. Methods: In this study 151 patients with severely resorbed mandibles participated, treatment had been assigned according to a balanced allocation method. Denture satisfaction and chewing ability were assessed using questionnaires before and 1 year after treatment.

Results: Before treatment all patients were dissatisfied with their mandibular denture and they could hardly chew tough or had food. One year after treatment the IRD-group was satisfied with their mandibular denture, whereas only one third of the CD-group was satisfied. With respect to the chewing ability the IRO-group scored significantly better than the CD-group (p < or = 0.0001).

Conclusions: For patients with a severely resorbed mandible, overdentures retained by dental implants appear to provide a more satisfactory solution to their denture-related problems.