title: A utility analysis of dental implants.
abstract: By applying a utility (usefulness) scale termed the "Feeling Thermometer" to 111 edentulous patients, a measure of effectiveness (quality-adjusted prosthesis years) that can be compared across several treatment strategies was developed. The results suggest that the utility scale was a valid (known group, P < .05), reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient = .713) measure of patients' preferences for the three treatment strategies: (1) conventional complete dentures (controls, n = 77), (2) transosteal implant-supported prostheses (n = 19), and (3) endosseous implant-supported prostheses (n = 15). The implant-treated patients rated their prostheses as high or higher (Feeling Thermometer score of 86.3 [endosseous] and 82.3 [transosteal]) than a functional fitting, esthetic conventional denture (score of 85.0 [endosseous] and 82.0 [transosteal]). They were also younger, more educated, and had received more sets of dentures (P < .05) than conventional denture patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor 48109.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Jacobson
authors.forename: B B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Maxson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mays
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Kowalski
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods; D015921:Dental Implants; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants