title: Patient satisfaction and prosthetic aspects with mini-implants retained mandibular overdentures. A 5-year prospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate patient satisfaction and prosthetic aspects during a 5-year prospective clinical study of mini dental implants (MDIs) retaining mandibular overdentures.
  
  
  METHODS
  This observational prospective clinical study was conducted on a group of completely edentulous patients (n = 28) with retention problems of conventional mandibular dentures. All patients received new maxillary and mandibular conventional dentures. A total of 112 MDIs (four per patient) were inserted using the flapless surgical approach and immediately loaded by the new mandibular dentures (overdentures). Patients indicated satisfaction with their prosthesis using a questionnaire and a visual analogue scale (VAS). Patient satisfaction and prosthetic complications were recorded 6 months (T6 m ), 1 (T1), 3 (T3), and 5 (T5) years after overdenture insertion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The patient satisfaction with eating (hard/soft) food (P < 0.001), talking (P < 0.001), appearance (P = 0.001), comfort (P < 0.001), healing process (P = 0.013), socialization (P < 0.001), stability/retention of mandibular dentures (P = 0.001), ease of oral hygiene (P = 0.008), and ease of handling the dentures (P < 0.001) increased significantly with time. After 5 years, the most common complication was wear/damage of O/rings (n = 235), O/ring replacement (n = 125), maxillary denture relining times (n = 13), worn teeth (n = 10), overdentures relines (n = 10), detachment of the metal housings (n = 9), and fracture of mandibular overdentures (n = 8). Mucositis, soreness, and decubitis ulcer under overdenture occurred most often at T6 m and decreased significantly with time (P = 0.002, 0.005, and 0.024, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within the limitations of this clinical study, patient satisfaction with mini-implant retained mandibular overdentures increased significantly with time. However, this treatment required a considerable amount of prosthetic maintenance and repair after 5 years of service.
authors.affiliation: Department of Removable Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Mansoura, Eldakahlia, Egypt.
authors.forename: Moustafa Abdou
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elsyad
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019554:Dental Restoration Wear; D003781:Denture Retention; D003826:Denture, Complete, Lower; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007575:Jaw, Edentulous / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011446:Prospective Studies
keywords: mini-implants; overdentures; prosthetic aspects; satisfaction