A comparison of the masticatory function between two different types of implant supported prostheses and complete denture for fully edentulous patients

Abstract

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The improvement in oral function and comfort from the dental implant appears to depend on the particular type of implant support used with the denture. The number and positioning of implants have an influence on the force transfer and subsequent stress distribution around implants. Nevertheless, a quantitative comparison has not been made between the types of implant prosthesis used with different materials compared to conventional complete denture. PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to assess the masticatory performance, bite force and impact of two different type of implant supported prostheses on oral health-related quality of life compared to conventional complete denture with GOHAI, validated oral-specific health status measures, the sieving method, and the Prescale Dental System. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From the years 1999 to 2006, a total of 30 completely edentulous patients in a single arch were selected from the Yonsei University Dental Hospital, Department of Prosthodontics and Implant Clinic in Seoul, S. Korea. Patients were divided into 3 groups of 10 each. Group HR was restored with fixed-detachable hybrid prostheses with resin teeth. Group FP had fixed dentures with porcelain teeth while Group CD had a complete denture. The masticatory performance was compared between 3 groups. RESULTS: The results showed a significant improvement in oral health-related quality of life with dental implants compared to a conventional denture in GOHAI comparison. Overall, implant prostheses showed a higher masticatory performance (S50) and maximum bite force compared with conventional dentures (P < .05) but no differences between different implant supported prostheses (P > .05). CONCLUSION: Within the limitation of this study, the numbers of implant and material of implant prostheses does not appear to impact patient satisfaction, masticatory performance or bite force.