OVERDENTURES WITH ROOTS OR IMPLANTS FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS - A COMPARISON

Roots maintained under the denture base preserve the alveolar ridge, p rovide sensory feedback and improve the stability of the dentures. Fur thermore, with the use of copings and precision attachments, retention of the denture is provided. Overdentures are a favored treatment moda lity for elderly patients with few remaining teeth because adaptation to wearing dentures is facilitated. Recently, overdenture treatment wi th the use of implants has become popular for edentulous elderly patie nts who are maladaptive to complete dentures. Although the biologic ba sis of implants installed in the bone is different from roots surround ed by a periodontal membrane, the prosthetic concept is similar. Tacti le sensibility is reduced because of the absence of periodontal recept ors. However, oral function with overdentures supported by roots or im plants is comparable and does not seem to depend on the presence of a periodontal membrane. Comparison of studies demonstrates a higher tend ency for success when overdentures are supported by implants than by r oots. This is particularly true for mandibular overdentures, whereas f or maxillary implants, more frequent failures are observed with low bo ne quality and short implants. This study discusses results and specia l applications with regard to an elderly population who will profit fr om the benefit of overdenture therapy.