The purpose of the study is to compare two different types of dental implants which will be used to support/retain a removable denture in the edentulous mandible. Subjects will have one implant placed in the midline of the mandible after which the patient's existing denture will be modified to fit the implant. The population of this study consists of healthy edentulous individuals 20-75 years of age who have complete dentures in the upper and lower arch.

Brief Title

Implant Overdenture Study

Official Title

A Prospective Randomized Study on the Immediate Loading of Mandibular Overdentures Supported by Parallel Sided or Tapered Dental Titanium Implants

Brief Summary

The purpose of the study is to compare two different types of dental implants which will be<br /> used to support/retain a removable denture in the edentulous mandible. Subjects will have one<br /> implant placed in the midline of the mandible after which the patient's existing denture will<br /> be modified to fit the implant. The population of this study consists of healthy edentulous<br /> individuals 20-75 years of age who have complete dentures in the upper and lower arch.

Detailed Description

Titanium dental implants have been frequently used in the rehabilitation of edentulous
patients. Implants may provide adequate denture stability, improve oral function and oral
health related quality of life. There is evidence that implants supporting fixed and
removable prostheses have excellent long term success rates. Factors such as implant surface
characteristics, length, diameter and shape (parallel sided or tapered) may play and
important role for the outcome of the treatment especially when the immediate loading
protocol (loading of the implant the same day it is surgically placed) is utilized. There are
reports indicating that dental implants placed according to the immediate loading protocol
can be used to support removable prostheses in the mandible. Such protocol would minimize the
number of surgical procedures and significantly shorten the overall treatment time. Further,
increased oral health related quality of life has been reported from studies on mandibular
implant overdentures. Traditionally two implants have been suggested for the support of a
mandibular overdenture. However, high patient satisfaction rates and appropriate denture
retention have been reported among patients with a single implant placed in the mid-line. It
is also important to further evaluate and compare various implant designs to determine
clinical outcomes. The two dominating types of implant body design on the market are the
parallel-sided (straight) and the tapered (conical) shaped. Both implants have similar
threads, and the surgical procedure for placing the implants in the bone tissue is similar,
but the drills used have a slightly different design and shape. There are today no randomized
controlled studies evaluating differences in outcomes with respect to the external implant
design i.e. parallel sided or tapered.

Outcome Measures

Outcome measures are the tests that investigators perform to prove whether or not a treatment being tested in a clinical trial is having any effect.