EVALUATION OF IMPLANT ASSISTED PROSTHESIS RESTORING FLABBY MANDIBULAR RIDGE (CBCT STUDY)

Background: The poor quality denture bearing area caused by displaceable flabby tissue is one of the soft tissue abnormalities that commonly encountered in the clinical practice. Surgically or non-surgically, techniques have suggested circumventing this difficulty.
Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the management of anterior flabby tissues of completely edentulous mandible using dental implant with either conventional functional impression or selective pressure impression technique.
Methods: Twelve completely edentulous patients with anterior mandibular flabby tissues were included in this prospective clinical study. All patients received upper complete denture and lower complete implant assisted overdenture constructed over two implants, placed at the canine region. Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group I, patients received their overdenture constructed from conventional functional impression technique, while patients of group II received the overdenture constructed from selective pressure impression technique. All patients underwent cone-beam computed tomography scanning at insertion, six and twelve months to measure the amount of marginal bone loss around the implants and the thickness of anterior mucosa between the two implants. All data are collected, tabulated and statistically analyzed.
Result: dentures constructed over dental implant for the two groups resulted in marginal bone loss around implant and decrease in flabby tissue thickness at all follow up period at denture insertion, six months and twelve months. When comparing between the two groups at the same follow up period, the patients receiving dentures constructed with selective pressure impression technique resulted in less marginal bone loss and more decrease in soft tissues thickness than those dentures constructed with conventional functional impression techniques
Conclusion: Using dental implant is recommended as a way for flabby tissues management. While, using implant with selective pressure impression technique is an effective manner for flabby tissues management than using dental implant alone.