From Volume 40, Issue 1, January 2013 | Pages 28-31
There have been demographic and cultural changes in the past few decades with regards to edentulism. Conventional mucosa-borne dentures can be poorly accepted by some patients. Implant overdentures have a useful role to play in the treatment of some of these patients. Some form of attachment mechanism between the implants and the prosthesis is normally required. This paper updates the reader on the different types of attachment systems and bars available.
Despite improvements in oral health seen in the UK since the 1970s, the preliminary results from the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey have shown that 6% of the adult population of England and Wales were edentulous.1 Although this is a large reduction from 37% in 1968, it means that there is still a significant demand for complete dentures.2 Furthermore, the population as a whole is ageing, with increased numbers living beyond their 85th birthdays. People are also becoming edentulous later in life, with partially dentate adults becoming the norm until old age.1 The combination of these demographic changes means that the edentulous group can be extremely challenging to treat effectively for a variety of social, psychological, physiological, biomechanical and anatomical reasons.
Whilst the majority of patients is reasonably happy with a well made upper complete denture, many are not as satisfied with a lower complete denture. Patients frequently complain of looseness and social embarrassment due to movement of the prosthesis during function. It is recognized that patients with complete dentures function with lower occlusal forces than subjects with natural teeth.3 This can lead to reduced masticatory efficiency.
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