DENTAL IMPLANTS IN THE ATROPHIC MAXILLA - MEASUREMENTS OF PATIENTS SATISFACTION AND TREATMENT EXPERIENCE

Maxillary bone reconstruction in combination with placement of dental implants is a treatment modality reported since 1980 for patients suff ering from maxillary atrophy and difficulties with wearing removable p rosthesis. This study reports on patient experience and satisfaction a mong 88 consecutive patients concerning surgical and prosthetic aspect s of their treatment. A questionnaire was used to gather the data. Pat ient satisfaction was measured on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = bad/few, 5 = very good/much). The satisfaction index with regard to the total tre atment was 4.1 +/- 0.9. A total of 90% of the patients responded that they would go through the treatment again or recommend the treatment t o a friend if necessary. The post-operative pain index scored 2.6 +/- 1.2. The acceptation of the post-operative pain at the crista iliaca w as 86.1% and of the maxilla 89.9%. It is concluded that the results of measurements of patient satisfaction after maxillary bone reconstruct ion in combination with placement of dental implants were acceptable.