Maxillary four implant retained overdentures tied to high implant and prosthetic survival, oral health QoL: Study

Palateless overdentures (PLODs) provide the advantages of improved taste perception and retention over conventional dentures.

They aimed to evaluate 5-year outcomes of four implant maxillary PLODs. In this prospective observational study, edentulous participants were enrolled. A new conventional maxillary denture was prepared followed by implant placement and insertion of four implant-retained maxillary PLOD. Oral health quality of life was assessed using the 49-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-49) at multiple intervals over 5 years along with biological and mechanical outcomes. Results: Nine patients were evaluated at year 5. The mean age was 68 years, and six of the nine patients were males.

The cumulative survival rate of implants was 100% while the implant success rate was 86%. Nylon retentive replacement was the most commonly encountered complication noted approximately four times per patient over 5 years. From a mean OHIP-49 severity score of 71.2 at baseline, severity scores decreased to 23.9 (p < 0.001) at year 1, denoting a clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvement in oral health quality of life. The lowered OHIP-49 severity scores remained stable throughout 5 years of follow-up. Four implant-supported maxillary overdenture appear to have good patient perceived, biological and mechanical outcomes over 5 years. Fully powered studies are needed to replicate these findings.

Reference:

Sude, A., Schlam, K., de Viteri Tejeda, H., Reside, G., Sanders, A., Felton, D. and De Kok, I. (2024), Treatment Outcomes of Four-Implant-Retained Maxillary Palateless Overdenture: A 5-Year Observational Study. J Oral Rehabil. https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.13887