Implant retained overdentures – is less more?

Many implant practitioners consider that, while two implants are the minimum required for a stable overdenture, more may be preferable for strength and support. In this novel piece of research, the authors randomly selected 85 patients who had their dentures supported either by two implants placed conventionally, bilaterally in the canine regions, or one implant placed centrally in the mandibular midline. The patients were monitored for up to five years.

It was found that there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of fracture of the prosthesis between the two groups. Where fracture did occur it was related to the concentration of stresses around the support in both groups. It is suggested that reinforcing this area may be beneficial in either case.

It was stated in the paper that the goal of the research was to compare patient satisfaction, component costs, and treatment and maintenance time associated with mandibular overdentures retained by one or two implants. Although this paper merely reports the findings related to fracture incidence, it may well be that a single implant could prove to be an affordable treatment option for a patient who is unable to tolerate the mucosal support of a complete lower denture.