A cost analysis of a long-term prospective study of patients treated with immediately loaded implant-supported mandibular overdentures

Abstract

Background: The economic burden for patients seeking treatment with implant-supported prostheses has not been given adequate attention. Purpose: To document long-term costs from a prospective trial on edentulous patients treated with mandibular implant-supported overdentures and 2 loading protocols. Materials and methods: The direct clinical and time costs for 35 patients receiving an immediate-loading protocol (ILP) and 40 patients with a conventional-loading protocol, over 14 years of observation, were analyzed in 2016 Canadian dollars as a base year. Quality of life (QoL) for the ILP was measured using the OHIP-20 questionnaire. Results: The ILP was associated with higher complication costs ($870.77 ± 692.24 vs $85.73 ± 133.14) with resultant higher maintenance costs ($1746.37 ± 892.68 vs $853.04 ± 276.21) (P