Clinical evaluation of overdenture retention using indigenous dental implants

BackgroundThe continuous resorption of the alveolar ridge after extraction of all the teeth can eventually result in a jaw anatomy which offers inadequate support for the dentures. This resorption can render the prosthesis inadequate in terms of both function and esthetics.MethodsA study was conducted where 50 edentulous, denture-wearing patients, of either sex, were given mandibular implant overdentures, using their existing denture. The implants used were one piece implants with an integrated ball and socket joint for retention. A healing time of 3–4 months was given before loading.ResultsImplant failure was seen in 11 cases during the healing phase. A success rate of 78% was seen in this study during an observation period of 6 months. This success rate is significantly low as compared to global records where a success rate of 87–98% is documented. The patients were asked to grade the overdenture as poor, satisfactory, good and excellent in categories of masticatory efficiency, speech and overall comfort. 71.79% patients rated the overall comfort as excellent and the same percentage of patients rated the speech as good.ConclusionImplant retained overdentures help in improving the masticatory efficiency, speech and overall comfort of the patient as compared to conventional dentures.