What is the Impact of Implant-supported Mandibular Overdentures on Oral Health-Related Quality of Life? A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: Oral health-related quality of life (QoL) is significantly influenced by the type of the prostheses that is used for prosthetic rehabilitation of patients with complete edentulism. This study aims to retrospectively evaluate the outcomes of mandibular implant-supported overdentures (MODs) through patients’ perceptions by analyzing the results from OHIP-14 index.Methods: Relationships between OHIP-14 scores, and clinical and patient-based findings are investigated.Results: Forty-seven patients were included in the study. OHIP-14 scores ranged from 0 to 35, with a mean score of 5.81 (±6.89), indicating an overall “very high” quality of life. Patients with “very high” QoL had significantly lower pain scores than those with both “high” and “low” QoL (p=0.000, p=0.036 respectively). Further analysis revealed a positive correlation between total OHIP points and pain level (r= 0.738, p=0.000).Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that patients with complete edentulism of the mandible can effectively be rehabilitated with two implant-supported mandibular overdentures and be provided with a “very high” oral health-related QoL.