Influence of Age on Clinical Performance of Mandibular Two-Implant Overdentures: A 10-Year Prospective Comparative Study

Purpose: The aim of this prospective comparative study was to assess whether age has influence on peri-implant health in patients treated with mandibular two-implant overdentures during a 10-year evaluation period. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out with two groups of edentulous patients, viz a younger (n = 52; mean age 45 years, 35-50 years) and an older (n = 53; mean age 68 years, 60-80 years) group. In all patients, two dental implants were placed in the interforaminal region of the mandible and after a 3-month healing period overdentures were fabricated. Clinical and radiographic parameters were evaluated immediately after completion of the prosthetic treatment, and after 1, 5 and 10 years. Implant loss, plaque index, gingival index, bleeding index, and probing depth were assessed as clinical parameters. Peri-implant bone loss was assessed on dental radiographs made with a standardized long-cone technique with a direction device. Results: Implant survival after 10 years was 97.1% and 93.4% in the younger and older group, respectively. Ten-year scores of plaque, gingiva, and bleeding were between 0 and 1 for both groups (possible scores 0-3), and mean probing depth was 3 mm in both groups. Mean peri-implant bone loss after 10 years was 1.2 and 1.4 mm in the younger and older patients, respectively. No significant differences were observed between the groups. Conclusion: Clinical performance of mandibular two-implant overdentures is equally successful in younger and older patients.