Authors : Ehab A. Elsaih
Volume : 58
Issue : 1
Year : 2012
Page No : 10
Background and Purpose: Implant-retained mandibular overdentures have recently become a popular treatment alternative for edentulous patients desiring increased retention of complete dentures. Smoker patient’s are routinely excluded from this benefit, therefore the goal of this study was to evaluate marginal bone changes radiographically around implants placed in mandibular canine region for implant retained overdenture patients (smokers and non smokers) 18 months after loading. Methods: Forty patients received two implants in the mandibular canine region. 13 were nonsmokers and 27 were smokers and subdivided according to smoking ratio to smokers≤ 10cigaretts and smokers >10cigaretts. After three month submerging period healing abutments were connected. Ball abutments were mounted 4–6 weeks afterwards and the complete overdenture was constructed and delivered. Marginal bone level was assessed radio-graphically at time of loading, 6 month, 12 month and 18 month after overdenture insertion. Results: Two patients had unilateral implants were judged as failures at the second surgical appointment. Three patients with clinically successful implants were blindly selected for exclusion from the grouping for balancing the statistical analysis. After the drop outs, seventy two implants were evaluated. A statistically significant vertical bone loss was seen in the three groups after the first 6 months (average 0.733mm ) and after the 2nd 6 months (average .618mm), and after the 3rd 6 months (average .05 mm), with statistically significant differences among the three groups for all pe