Page 98 - Impact of implant retained overdenture treatment and speech, oromyofunction, social participation and quality of life.

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Chapter 4
There has been a lot of research about patients satisfaction after dental rehabilitation.24 In general, patients are more satisfied when rehabilitated with single crowns compared to fixed dentures on implants or removable implant retained overdentures.14 Compared to fixed dentures on implants, people are more satisfied with overdentures on implants.25 Satisfaction with the oral situation after implantation depends on the outcome in eating comfort, speech comfort and esthetics.26
Based on the afore mentioned literature one can assume that maxillary overdentures retained by mini-implants may affect speech, especially problems with the /s/ sound, and mild problems with articulation and oromyofunction, are likely to occur. It is important for dentists to inform the patients before starting the treatment, that speech can be affected and a certain adaptation period including further adjustments of the prosthesis may be required.
The main object of this study is to determine speech, oromyofunctional behavior as well as satisfaction with the treatment and the impact on quality of life in patients treated with a horse-shoe shaped overdenture retained by mini- implants in the maxilla. Changes in speech from the preoperative condition, with the original conventional removable denture, to the provisional denture and fixation of the horse-shoe overdenture on the mini-implants are assessed by a professional speech therapist, who worked independently from the clinician.
Methods and materials
Patient selection and clinical procedure
The clinical study was designed as a prospective multicenter cohort study in patients seeking treatment for poor stability and discomfort with their conventional denture. Patients were included if the following criteria were met: patients aged 50 years or older with a fully edentulous maxilla (either with or without a complete removable prosthesis); they had to be partially or fully dentate in the mandible consisting of a natural dentition, a combination of natural teeth and partial prosthesis without tooth supported prosthesis or an implant-supported overdenture or fixed bridges on implants.