title: Observations on 25 patients treated with ball-retained overdentures using the Astra Tech implant system.
abstract: Twenty-five adult patients with fully edentulous jaws, aged from 44 to 80 years were treated with seventy-one 3.5 mm diameter Astra Tech dental implants in the parasymphseal region. The length of these implants varied from 9 mm to 15 mm. Either two or three implants were inserted, subsequently exposed after a minimum period of 3 months, abutments and ball attachments placed. Full lower dentures incorporating gold alloy housings for ball-attachments were constructed. The average time that the implants were in situ was 4 years and 2 months, ranging from 1 year 3 months to 5 years and 7 months. Of the 71 implants placed, 67 achieved osseointegration-a success rate of 94%. The main complication was that of the ball-attachments becoming loose.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, North East Lincolnshire NHS Trust, Grimsby, UK.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yusuf
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ratra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000534:rehabilitation; D016321:Dental Care for Aged / Q000295:instrumentation; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000379:methods; D017267:Dental Prosthesis Design; D017268:Dental Prosthesis Retention / Q000295:instrumentation*; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible; D008875:Middle Aged; D019233:Retreatment; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome