title: The effect of mandibular 2-implant overdentures on oral health-related quality of life: an international multicentre study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the difference in oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients who received mandibular 2-implant overdentures and conventional dentures in a pragmatic international study.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective study, data were gathered from 203 edentulous patients (mean age, 68.8; SD: 10.4 years) at eight centres in North America, South America and Europe. The patients were provided with new mandibular conventional dentures or implant overdentures supported by 2 implants and ball attachments and opposed by conventional dentures. At baseline and at 6 months post-treatment, patients rated their oral health-related quality of life using the OHIP-20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significantly higher proportion of the participants in the implant group in North America reported improvement in both the psychological and the handicap domains, compared to those who received conventional dentures (93% vs. 52%; P < 0.05). In South America, 100% of participants who received implant overdentures reported improvement in physical pain, compared to 66% in the conventional group (P < 0.05). Differences in mean change scores among those who expressed improvement were not significantly different between sites or treatments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mandibular 2-implant overdentures are more likely than conventional dentures to improve OHRQL for edentulous patients. Cultural differences were also observed in the impact of implant overdentures on the different domains of the OHIP-20.
authors.affiliation: Department of General & Specialist Dental Practice, College of Dentistry, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, UAE.
authors.forename: Manal A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Awad
authors.forename: Faahim
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rashid
authors.forename: Jocelyne S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Feine
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015921:Dental Implants; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003781:Denture Retention; D003826:Denture, Complete, Lower; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible; D009909:Oral Health; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants
keywords: clinical research; clinical trials; epidemiology; prosthodontics