Background: The purpose of this study was to compare patients' subjective experiences with respect to long-term satisfaction with mandibular implant-retained overdentures versus conventional complete dentures.
Methods: Among 85 completely edentulous patients, 60 were treated with four one-stage titanium implants and overdentures retained by a cast bar with extracoronal attachments. These patients constituted the experimental group, and were subsequently evaluated clinically over a period of up to 6 years. The other 25 patients constituted the control group and were treated with conventional complete dentures without implant retained. All the patients (n = 60) in the experimental group responded to questions on their experiences before and after treatment with the implant-retained overdentures. Sixty percent (n = 15) of the 25 patients in the control group responded to the questionnaire.
Results: No implants or restorations failed during the observation period. The experimental group, however, showed significant differences with the control group in terms of their responses to the questionnaire.
Conclusion: The use of implants to retain and support the overdenture improved comfort and gave the experimental patients greater self-confidence in social interactions, in addition to more effective oral rehabilitation. The results demonstrate that the effects of rehabilitation of the mandibular arch with an implant-retained overdenture are predictable.