Patient satisfaction among subjects with a maxillary single denture, treated with implant-supported telescopic versus ball-and-socket overdentures: A randomized controlled trial

Background: The present study was performed to rehabilitate maxillary single denture cases with implantretained telescopic or ball-and-socket attachments, and to evaluate the validity of two-implantretained maxillary overdentures as a treatment approach in the maxillary arch.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate patient satisfaction in maxillary single denture wearers with 2 different attachment systems (telescopic attachment vs. ball-and-socket attachment).

Material and methods: A total of 18 completely edentulous maxillary ridge patients (45-60 years old; mean age: 53 years) were selected for this study. Maxillary single dentures were constructed for all the patients. Group 1 patients received 2 implants with a telescopic attachment and group 2 patients received 2 implants with a ball-and-socket attachment. Patient satisfaction with the implant-retained maxillary single denture was evaluated after insertion, and 3 months after the delivery of each implant-retained maxillary single overdenture.

Results: All 18 patients completed the study. After 3 months, the telescopic group showed significant improvement in terms of comfort, chewing, handling, and overall satisfaction, and in the ball-and-socket group, significant improvement was recorded for appearance only. When comparing the 2 groups, after insertion, group 1 showed significantly better results for the 'handling' and 'hygiene' parameters, whereas group 2 showed a significantly better mean score for the 'appearance' parameter. After 3 months, group 1 showed significantly better results for the 'comfort', 'handling', 'hygiene', and 'overall satisfaction' parameters, and group 1 proved significantly better in terms of 'appearance' and 'speech' parameters.

Conclusions: Maxillary single dentures with a telescopic attachment showed an advantage over those with a ball-and-socket attachment regarding patient satisfaction. Concerning the implant number, twoimplantretained maxillary overdentures can be considered a promising approach for patients from developing countries.