The potential benefits of dental implants on the oral health quality of life of people with Parkinson's disease.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate how dental implants impact on the oral health quality of life of people with Parkinson's disease (PD).


BACKGROUND
PD is a progressive neurological disorder that can result in a number of oral health care challenges, including denture difficulties. Lack of evidence related to use of implants in PD prompted this study to investigate their use in this group of people.


METHODS
Nine people with PD were provided with either fixed or removable prostheses using Astra-Tech implants. Participants completed the socio-dental questionnaire, 'The Dental Impact on Daily Living Assessment' (DIDL) prior to implant surgery, and at 3 and 12 months after provision of the final prosthesis. DIDL comprises two components - the Oral Health Quality of Life Inventory (OH-QoL) and the Self-Reported Assessment of Oral Health and Functional Status (SROH).


RESULTS
Nine people (with an age range of 54-77 years) had implants placed. The implant success rate was 85 and 81% in the maxilla and mandible, respectively. The OH-QoL and SROH results (analysed using the one-way analysis of variance and pairwise multiple comparisons) demonstrated a significant improvement in the domains of eating and satisfaction with the prosthesis after 3 months, which was maintained at the twelve month review. The OH-QoL indicated a gradual improvement in oral well-being over the 12-month period.


CONCLUSIONS
The oral health quality of life of people with PD was improved by the use of dental implants, indicating this as a viable treatment option.
Packer
Mark
M
Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, King's College London Dental Institute at King's Hospital, London, UK.
Nikitin
Vladimir
V
Coward
Trevor
T
Davis
Devid Michael
DM
Fiske
Janice
J
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D015921:Dental Implants; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003824:Denture, Complete; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D012917:Social Adjustment
D015921:Dental Implants