HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Stellingsma, C. Articles by Raghoebar, G.M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Stellingsma, C. Articles by Raghoebar, G.M.

IMPLANTOLOGY AND THE SEVERELY RESORBED EDENTULOUS MANDIBLE

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Maxillofacial Prosthetics, University Hospital, PO Box 30.001, 9700 RB Groningen, the Netherlands; and ¹ Department of Oral Function and Prosthetic Dentistry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Groningen;

^* corresponding author, c.stellingsma{at}kchir.azg.nl

Patients with a severely resorbed edentulous mandible often suffer from problems with the lower denture. These problems include: insufficient retention of the lower denture, intolerance to loading by the mucosa, pain, difficulties with eating and speech, loss of soft-tissue support, and altered facial appearance. These problems are a challenge for the prosthodontist and surgeon. Dental implants have been shown to provide a reliable basis for fixed and removable prostheses. This has resulted in a drastic change in the treatment concepts for management of the severely resorbed edentulous mandible. Reconstructive, pre-prosthetic surgery has changed from surgery aimed to provide a sufficient osseous and mucosal support for a conventional denture into surgery aimed to provide a sufficient bone volume enabling implants to be placed at the most optimal positions from a prosthetic point of view. The aim of this paper is to review critically the literature on procedures related to the severely resorbed edentulous mandible and dental implant treatment. The study includes the transmandibular implant, (short) endosseous implants, and reconstructive procedures such as distraction osteogenesis, augmentation of the mandibular ridge with autogenous bone, and bone substitutes followed by the placement of implants. The number of patients participating in a study, the follow-up period, the design of the study, the degree of mandibular resorption, and the survival rate of the dental implants all are considered evaluation parameters. Although numerous studies have described the outcome results of dental implants in the edentulous mandible, there have been few prospective studies designed as randomized clinical trials that compare different treatment modalities to restore the severely resorbed mandible. Therefore, it is not yet possible to select an evidence-based treatment modality. Future research has to be focused on long-term, detailed follow-up clinical trials before scientificaly based decisions in treating these patients can be made. This will contribute to a higher level of care in this field.

Key words. Dental implant, mandible, edentulous patient, resorption, denture problems

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. Dijakiewicz, A. Wojtowicz, J. Dijakiewicz, V. Szycik, P. Rutkowski, and B. Rutkowski Is implanto-prosthodontic treatment available for haemodialysis patients? Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., September 1, 2007; 22(9): 2722 - 2724. [Full Text] [PDF]