Refusal of implant supported mandibular overdentures by elderly patients

Do health provider-patient relationships matter? Exploring dentist-patient relationships and oral health-related quality of life in older people

BACKGROUND

patient experience is now a key parameter in health care. Yet, very little is known about the possible impact of dentist-patient relationships on patient-centred outcomes including older peoples' oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

OBJECTIVE

this study assessed the relationship between OHRQoL and dentist-patient relationships related to perceived unmet dental needs; shared decision-making; time spent discussing oral health problems; respect and confidence and trust.

PARTICIPANTS

older people aged 65 years and over living in East London, U.K. in 2011.

METHODS

a cross-sectional study using stratified random sampling recruited a representative sample of older people (n = 772). PARTICIPANTS completed an oral examination and a structured questionnaire including the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) measuring OHRQoL and five dentist-patient relationship questions taken from the U.K. 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey. Multivariate Poisson regressions modelled the association between OHRQoL and dentist-patient factors adjusting for socio-demographic factors, clinical oral indicators, and dental attendance.

RESULTS

having a perceived unmet need for dental treatment (PRR = 1.84; 95% CI: 1.32, 2.56) and expressing a lack of trust and confidence in one's dentist (PRR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.01, 2.98) were significant predictors of poor OHRQoL among older people.

CONCLUSIONS

these findings suggest that older people with unmet dental needs and those who expressed a lack of trust and confidence in their dentist were more likely to experience poor OHRQoL reinforcing the importance of the dental patient experience in healthy ageing and well-being.

Lateral forces exerted through ball or bar attachments in relation to the inclination of mini-implant underneath overdentures: in vitro study

OBJECTIVE

Lateral force to mini-implants should be avoided because mini-implants are weak mechanically because of its small diameter. Overdentures retained by mini-implants are usually formed using ball attachments. However, bar attachments can offer the advantage of splinting the mini-implants. This study examined the effect of attachments in withstanding these lateral forces in tilted mini-implants of overdentures.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Strain gauges were attached to the mini-implants (2.5 × 18 mm) embedded in an acrylic resin block. Two mini-implants were inserted vertically (Control) or with one mini-implant inclined at 10° or 20° (10-inclined and 20-inclined, respectively). The female portions of the attachments were secured to the denture base. A prefabricated ball attachment and CAD/CAM-fabricated bar attachment were compared. A vertical load of 49 N was applied to the occlusal surface at a distance 10 mm away from the center of two mini-implants. The lateral force borne by the mini-implants was measured via the attached strain gauge. Mann-Whitney U-test and an analysis of Bonferroni correction were used to compare differences between the two attachments and among the three models (P < 0.05).

RESULTS

The lateral force exerted to the inclined mini-implant was significantly greater than that borne by a vertical mini-implant for both attachment types. The lateral force on the 20° inclined mini-implants with bar attachments was smaller than that on mini-implants with ball attachments.

CONCLUSION

Inclined mini-implants are subjected to greater stresses than vertical ones, and a bar attachment can reduce the lateral forces borne by the mini-implant when one mini-implant inclined at 20°.

Osseointegration of short titan implants: A pilot study in pigs

Reduced vertical bone level in the implantation area is often considered one of the limiting factors before implant insertion. Inserting implants of reduced length might be useful in order to avoid vertical bone augmentation prior to implantation. To the present day, no official guidelines exist as to the optimal length for these implants. It is nevertheless well known that the stability of an implant depends primarily on its osseointegration, which could otherwise be influenced by modifying implant surface texture. The aim of our study was to evaluate osseointegration in correlation with implant length and surface texture. Three different variations of titan implants (n=5) were compared: two types, each with an acid-etched and ceramic blasted surface, were inserted in the upper jaw of adult female minipigs at different lengths (tioLogic ST Shorty, 5mm length; tioLogic ST, 9mm length) and were compared to a control group (tioLogic ST, 9mm length, ceramic blasted surface). Eight weeks after unloaded healing, bone tissue specimens containing the implants were processed, stained with Masson-Goldner-trichrome and analyzed histologically. Regardless of implant length and surface texture, new bone formation with no signs of inflammation could be detected in the area of the threads. Implants with a modified surface showed no statistically significant difference in bone-implant-contact (BIC) (tioLogic ST Shorty, 56.5%; tioLogic(©)ST; 77.2%), but a statistically significant difference could be found, when the 9mm implants were compared to the control group (BIC 48.9%). Surface modification could positively influence osseointegration as well as contribute to overcoming the adverse effects of length reduction.

Implant-supported mandibular overdentures in very old adults: a randomized controlled trial

The purpose of this study was (1) to investigate denture satisfaction following the conversion of existing mandibular complete dentures to implant overdentures (IOD) in very old edentulous patients who depend on help for activities of daily living and (2) to evaluate secondary end points, such as functional, structural, nutritional, and patient-centered aspects. For this randomized clinical trial, 2 interforaminal short implants were placed in the intervention group (n = 16, 85.0 ± 6.19 yrs) to retain mandibular IODs; the control group (n = 18, 84.1 ± 5.55 yrs) received conventional relines. During the first year, no implant was lost; however, 2 patients died. IODs proved more stable, and participants in the intervention group demonstrated significantly higher denture satisfaction as well as an increased oral health-related quality of life compared to the control group. Maximum voluntary bite force improved significantly with IODs, yet the chewing efficiency was not different between groups. Masseter muscle thickness increased with IODs, mainly on the preferred chewing side. Body mass index decreased in both groups, but the decline tended to be smaller in the intervention group; blood markers and the Mini Nutritional Assessment did not confirm this tendency. These results indicate that edentulous patients who depend on help for activities of daily living may benefit from IODs even late in life.

Patient satisfaction with mini-implant stabilised full dentures. A 1-year prospective study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate patient-centred outcomes with regard to function and comfort after placement of mini-implants for stabilisation of complete dentures. The trial was designed as a prospective cohort of 12-months duration and involved 21 subjects in the age of 50-90 years having a full denture in the maxilla or the mandible with poor stability during function. Flapless installation of 2-4 narrow-body Dentatus Atlas(®) implants was performed and retention for the existing denture was obtained by the use of a silicone-based soft lining material (Tuf-Link(®)). Patients' judgement of perceived satisfaction with function and comfort of the dentures was recorded at baseline, 1- and 12-months post-treatment using 10-centimetre visual analogue scales (VAS) and a questionnaire. Clinical examination of the conditions of the peri-implant soft tissues was performed at 12 months. Nineteen of the 21 patients were available for the 12-month follow-up examination. The two drop-out subjects lost all implants within 1 month and rejected retreatment. Further six subjects lost 1-2 implants, but were sucessfully retreated by insertion of new implants. Overall satisfaction, chewing and speaking comfort were all markedly improved from pre-treatment median VAS scores of around 4-5 to median scores of 9·0-10 (10 = optimal) at the final examination. The prevalence of positive answers to questions regarding stability/function of the denture increased significantly to almost 100% for all questions. Treatment involving maxillary dentures and the use of short implants (7-10 mm) was associated with an increased risk of implant failure. The results indicate that placement of mini-implants as retentive elements for full dentures with poor functional stability has a marked positive impact on the patients' perception of oral function and comfort as well as security in social life.