A LONGITUDINAL CLINICAL-ASSESSMENT OF SPARK EROSION TECHNOLOGY IN IMPLANT-RETAINED OVERDENTURE PROSTHESES - A PRELIMINARY-REPORT

Statement of problem. As adapted for the dental profession, spark eros ion technology permits precise machining of retentive metal overdentur e frameworks for use in implant prosthetics. Purpose. The resultant pr ostheses are retentive and provide a number of benefits offered by bot h conventional overdenture and fixed prosthetic designs. Material and methods. Preliminary data collected from an ongoing 5-year clinical tr ial were reviewed to qualitatively assess the clinical results obtaine d from 25 spark eroded implant-retained overdenture prostheses placed in 24 subjects. Results. Throughout an evaluation period of 13.33 mont hs (range 4 to 19 months), subject responses measured by questionnaire were uniformly good. Few complications were encountered and were limi ted to resin denture base/tooth fractures or retentive component failu res that were easily repaired. Conclusion. Overdenture prostheses reta ined by spark eroded milled frameworks offer an acceptable treatment a lternative for patients undergoing dental implant therapy.