SURVIVAL AND RETREATMENT NEED OF ABUTMENT TEETH IN PATIENTS WITH OVERDENTURES - A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

The retreatment need was assessed in 148 patients wearing 125 overdent ures in the mandible and 56 in the maxilla. The total number of abutme nt teeth was 512. During the evaluation period 44 abutments were extra cted. The endpoints of the survival analysis after 6 yr were 89%, taki ng the loss of all abutments as the failure criterion for overdentures . During the clinical examination it was found that 31% of the abutmen ts needed retreatment while the retrospective part showed a mean yearl y restoration need of 17.5%. Caries was the most important reason for retreatment. These data demonstrated that patients with overdentures s hould be regarded as high risk patients for retreatment of abutments. Therefore a stringent maintenance program, including regular recall ap pointments and the application of a preventive regimen, is desirable.