A longitudinal study of quality of life outcomes in older adults requesting implant prostheses and complete removable dentures

A longitudinal clinical trial involving 103 subjects was undertaken to assess the impact of oral implant therapy on the psychosocial well-being of subjects with complete denture wearing problems. There were four experimental groups: (1) an implant group, where subjects were edentulous/edentate in one jaw and requested and received implants to retain an oral prosthesis (IG); (2) subjects edentulous/edentate in one jaw requesting implants but who received conventional dentures (CDG1); (3) edentulous subjects requesting replacement of their dentures by conventional means (CDG2); (4) dentate subjects requiring routine treatment, who were included for comparison. Data were collected in each group pre- and post-treatment using validated oral specific [the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)], and generic (the SF36) health status measures. Subjects in IG, CDG1 and CDG2 also completed a denture satisfaction scale. IG and CDG1 subjects reported that tooth loss and denture wearing problems had a much greater impact on their quality of life than subjects seeking conventional dentures. Dentate subjects had a much better oral health status compared with denture-wearing subjects. Following treatment, subjects who received implant-retained prostheses (IG) reported a significant improvement in satisfaction and health-related quality of life, as did subjects who requested and received conventional dentures (CDG2). Subjects who requested implants, but received conventional dentures (CDG1), reported little improvement in denture satisfaction and only modest improvement in their quality of life. None of the denture-wearing subjects reported health-related quality of life that was as good as that of dentate subjects. The findings have significant implications in the assessment of outcomes in future clinical trials.