Effect of the attachments on clinical outcomes of mandibular distal extension implant-supported removable partial dentures: A systematic review.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Healing abutments and attachments have been used for implant-supported removable partial dentures (ISRPDs). However, the effects of these abutments and attachments on the clinical outcomes of the implants and prostheses are elusive because of the lack of standardized research protocols. PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the clinical outcomes of mandibular distal extension ISRPDs with healing abutments and attachments by analyzing qualified studies. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An electronic and manual literature search was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases including articles published in English from 1980 to 2020. Publications of clinical outcome studies on the mandibular distal extension ISRPDs with healing abutments or attachments were screened by inclusion and exclusion criteria. Clinical outcomes of removable partial dentures (RPDs) and ISRPDs with different types of abutments or attachments were compared by using patient-reported outcome measures, implant survival rate, masticatory performance, and implant- or prosthesis-related complications. Study designs and clinical outcome data were extracted and analyzed. The evidence of the selected studies and degree of recommendation were made according to the Oxford Centre for Evidence-based Medicine, and the risk of bias of the studies was assessed based on Newcastle-Ottawa criteria. RESULTS: Of 541 articles initially identified after removing duplicate records, 11 articles were selected by applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, by inter-viewer agreement, and by hand searching. Nine prospective cohort studies, 1 retrospective cohort study, and 1 randomized controlled trial were included with evidence levels assessed at 1b, 2b, and 2c. The risk of bias varied from 5 to 8 out of 9. Patient overall satisfaction, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) scores, and masticatory ability were significantly improved for ISRPDs with either healing abutments, ball, or LOCATOR attachments when compared with RPDs. The implant survival rate varied from 92% to 97% at 2 to 10 years for ball attachment and was 100% at 1 year for LOCATOR attachment-supported ISRPDs. Marginal bone loss (MBL) varied from 0 to 1 mm in all studies, although LOCATOR attachments had significantly less MBL compared with ball attachments. The maximal pocket depth and bleeding on probing index around implants at 1 year were 1.7 to 1.8 mm and 0.1 to 0.3. Loose healing caps were the main mechanical complication of implants. There were more prosthetic complications in ISRPDs with ball attachments than RPDs at 10-year follow-up, including gold matrix loosening, loss of retention, and denture base fractures. No direct comparisons were made of patient-reported outcomes or prosthetic complications between ball and LOCATOR attachment-supported ISRPDs. CONCLUSIONS: Healing abutments and attachments (ball or LOCATOR) improved patient-reported outcomes and the masticatory function of mandibular distal extension ISRPDs. However, insufficient evidence was found to determine the relative effectiveness of different attachment systems on the clinical outcomes of mandibular distal extension ISRPDs. Abutment loosening was the most frequent mechanical complication for healing abutments. More prosthetic complications were associated with ball attachment-supported ISRPDs than RPDs. The major weaknesses of this systematic review were the relatively moderate level of evidence and the publication language, since implant attachments are used in many non-English speaking countries.

Dental Care-Seeking and Information Acquisition During Pregnancy: A Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant women are at risk of oral health problems. This qualitative study aims to understand dental care-seeking behaviours of pregnant women and their oral health-related information acquisition, to identify barriers to and motivators for, dental visits, and further explore their expectations and possible strategies to improve oral health care during pregnancy. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 pregnant women (after 32 gestational weeks) enrolled in the antenatal care programme in a public hospital in Hong Kong. Two main areas of interest were probed: Dental care-seeking behaviour and oral health information acquisition. Their expectations and suggestions on oral health care service for pregnant women were also explored. An inductive thematic approach was adopted to analyse the data. RESULTS: Pregnant women's dental care-seeking behaviour was deterred by some internal factors, such as misunderstandings on oral health, and priority on other issues over oral health. External factors such as inconvenient access to dental service during pregnancy also affected their care-seeking behaviours. Oral health information was passively absorbed by pregnant women through mass media and the social environment, which sometimes led to confusion. Oral health information acquisition from antenatal institutions and care providers was rare. Greater attention was paid to dental visit when they obtained proper information from previous dental visit experience or family members. A potential strategy to improve oral health care suggested by the interviewees is to develop a health care system strengthened by inter-professional (antenatal-dental) collaboration. Efficient oral health information delivery, convenient access to dental service, and improved 'quality' of dental care targeting the needs of pregnant women were identified as possible approaches to improve dental care for this population. CONCLUSION: Dental care-seeking behaviour during pregnancy was altered by various internal and external factors. A lack of, or conflict between, information sources result in confusion that can restrict utilisation of dental service. Integrating dental care into antenatal service would be a viable way to improve dental service utilisation.

Patients' satisfaction with dental care: a qualitative study to develop a satisfaction instrument.

BACKGROUND: To explore and better understand how patients evaluate satisfaction in dental care and elicit information from them to develop a dental satisfaction instrument. METHODS: Patients currently receiving dental treatment in a teaching hospital were invited to be part of a qualitative research project which involved focus group discussion. Focus groups were conducted in Cantonese and discussions were recorded (audio and video) and later transcribed. RESULTS: Thirty patients participated and a thematic analysis of data from four focus groups helped generate a questionnaire on dental satisfaction. Six themes were extracted from the contents of the focus group: (i) attitude, (ii) cost, (iii) convenience, (iv) pain management, (v) quality, and (vi) patients' perceived need for prevention of oral disease. Compared to the existing Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ), majority of the dental satisfaction aspects mentioned in focus group discussions were similar to items in DSQ supporting its content validity. Focus groups covered more aspects including attitude of dental supporting staff, convenience of emergency services, admission of patients and treatment duration. Consideration of the clinical skills of the operator, hospital infection control, and knowledge on prevention of oral disease were also expressed. CONCLUSIONS: The focus group discussions elicited the views of patients not covered by DSQ items thereby suggesting areas for development of a new satisfaction questionnaire.