Retrospective cohort analysis of maxillary overdentures retained by unsplinted implants.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Implant therapy involving an unsplinted 2-implant-retained overdenture is well defined as a successful treatment for a patient with an edentulous mandible. However, a similar unsplinted implant therapy supporting a maxillary overdenture is not well characterized. PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to evaluate maxillary overdentures retained by 4 unsplinted implants measuring implant survival, overdenture survival, and patient-reported outcomes. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants who had received an unsplinted implant-retained maxillary overdenture were included in the study. Participants presented for one denture recall appointment, during which comprehensive examination, including radiographs, was performed and clinical findings were recorded. Participants also completed the Oral Health Impact Profile-49 (OHIP-49) and a 20-item visual analog scale (VAS) satisfaction questionnaire. Nonparametric statistical tests were used to compare OHIP-49 and VAS scores across age, sex, time since overdenture insertion, mandibular dental status, smoking status, maxillary mucosal health, and overdenture hygiene. RESULTS: For the 44 participants, 3 of 4 implants failed in 1 individual. The cumulative implant survival rate was 98% (97.7% patient level). No prosthetic failures (that is, overdenture replacement) occurred, indicating a 100% prosthesis survival rate. The mean ±standard deviation OHIP-49 severity score was 23.6 ±26.0, and the mean ±standard deviation total VAS score was 179.2 ±29.4. Increased age was associated with lower OHIP-49 severity score (P=.036), and participants with unhealthy oral mucosa or denture stomatitis demonstrated significantly higher OHIP-49 severity scores (P=.003). CONCLUSIONS: In this retrospective evaluation, unsplinted implant-retained maxillary overdenture therapy was associated with high implant and prosthetic survival, as well as high patient satisfaction and quality of life. Age, sex, maxillary mucosal health, and mandibular dental status resulted in significant differences with respect to oral health-related quality of life and patient satisfaction, indicating that this treatment option may be ideal for certain patients.

Maxillary Implant-Supported Fixed Prosthesis: A Survey of Reviews and Key Variables for Treatment Planning.

PURPOSE: This review was conducted to provide information to support the establishment of clinical guidelines for the treatment of maxillary edentulism using implant-supported fixed dental prostheses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Initial efforts were directed toward a systematic review with a defined PICO question: "For maxillary edentulous patients with dental implants treated using a fixed prosthesis, what is the impact of prosthesis design on prosthesis survival and complications?" Following a title search of more than 3,000 titles identified by electronic search of PubMed, 180 articles were identified that addressed the clinical evaluation of maxillary dental implant prostheses. The broad methodologic heterogeneity and clinical variation among reports precluded this approach for a systematic review. The information was extracted using a standardized extraction table by two pairs of investigators, and the reported outcomes were then summarized according to reported outcomes for implant prostheses supported by four, six, or eight implants using unitary or segmented prostheses. RESULTS: This review indicated that high prosthetic survival is observed using all approaches. The advantages of using fewer implants and a unitary prosthesis are revealed in the surgical phases, and complications commonly involve the fracture or detachment of acrylic teeth and reduced access for proper oral hygiene and related biologic complications. Using six implants typically involved grafting of posterior regions with advantages of reduced cantilevers and redundancy of implant support. Reduced prosthesis survival in these cases was associated with poor implant distribution. Segmented prostheses supported by six or more implants offered greater prosthetic survival, perhaps due to posterior implant placement. Advantages of a segmented prosthesis included pragmatic issues of accommodating divergent implants, attaining passive fit, combining prosthetic materials, and relative simplicity of repair. CONCLUSION: The existing literature demonstrated that maxillary edentulism may be treated successfully using alternative approaches involving four, six, or more implants. The procedural diagnostics, treatment, and maintenance for these different approaches all require advanced knowledge and careful communication among the therapeutic team. The prosthetic therapeutic success requires maintenance, repair, and possible multiple replacements within the patient's lifetime.

Arsenite and Cadmium Activate MAPK/ERK via Membrane Estrogen Receptors and G-Protein Coupled Estrogen Receptor Signaling in Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells.

Epidemiological evidence indicates that cadmium and arsenic exposure increase lung cancer risk. Cadmium and arsenic are environmental contaminants that act as endocrine disruptors (EDs) by activating estrogen receptors (ERs) in breast and other cancer cell lines but their activity as EDs in lung cancer is untested. Here, we examined the effect of cadmium chloride (CdCl2) and sodium arsenite (NaAsO2) on the proliferation of human lung adenocarcinoma cell lines. Results demonstrated that both CdCl2 and NaAsO2 stimulated cell proliferation at environmentally relevant nM concentrations in a similar manner to 17ß-estradiol (E2) in H1793, H2073, and H1944 cells but not in H1792 or H1299 cells. Further studies in H1793 cells showed that 100 nM CdCl2 and NaAsO2 rapidly stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK, extracellular-signal-regulated kinases) phosphorylation with a peak detected at 15 min. Inhibitor studies suggest that rapid MAPK phosphorylation by NaAsO2, CdCl2, and E2 involves ER, Src, epidermal growth factor receptor, and G-protein coupled ER (GPER) in a pertussis toxin-sensitive pathway. CdCl2 and E2 activation of MAPK may also involve ERß. This study supports the involvement of membrane ER and GPER signaling in mediating cellular responses to environmentally relevant nM concentrations of CdCl2 and NaAsO2 in lung adenocarcinoma cells.