Psychometric and Oral Function Assessment of Patients Treated by the Use of Implant-Retained Prostheses

Al-Omoush, Salah Abdullah (1997) Psychometric and Oral Function Assessment of Patients Treated by the Use of Implant-Retained Prostheses. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The loss of natural teeth followed by alveolar bone resorption results in the deterioration of the alveolar ridges. These atrophic changes, particularly in the mandible, contribute significantly to a reduction in the stability, retention and load bearing capacity of complete dentures. In addition to a compromised functional capacity, there is a loss of facial support and a reduction in face height. In recent years the use of osseointegrated dental implants for the rehabilitation of edentulous and partially dentate subjects has gained considerable clinical acceptance owing to the high clinical success rates reported. In addition to improvements in dental function there are reported psychological benefits for patients treated with implants, particularly in the case of patients who previously have suffered long-standing problems with conventional complete dentures. It IS useful for the dentist to have an insight into the psychological make-up of patients, particularly when considering the edentulous patient's expectations of what will be achieved from the provision of dentures. Clinical success requires not only the use of appropriate techniques and materials, but depends also upon patients' adaptation potential and upon influences such as motivation and behavioural patterns. The most common complaints arising following the provision of conventional complete dentures are lack of denture stability/retention, pain/discomfort, reduction of masticatory function, difficulty with speech and aesthetic problems, all of which may cause varying degrees of psychological dissatisfaction. In this study, there are two sections. Chapters One and Two comprise the first section. In Chapter One there is a description for the history of implant dentistry and a brief review of the main dental implant systems currently in use. Chapter Two consists of a prospective psychometric analysis of two groups of edentulous patients to investigate their psychological profiles before and after implant treatment. The first group consisted of twenty edentulous subjects who were followed-up over a three year period, using the Cattell's 16-PF psychological test. A second group of ten edentulous subjects were assessed over a shorter period of time using the SCL-90-R psychological test. The second section of this work consists of three chapters developing the work started in Chapter Two dealing with the group of ten edentulous subjects, who had been selected from the waiting list at Glasgow Dental Hospital. All had been referred to the Department of Prosthodontics with long-standing problems centred on their mandibular complete dentures; problems such as denture instability and discomfort, often associated with psycho-social difficulties. The main aims of the present study were: (1) To provide all ten patients with new complete dentures of optimised design and to evaluate the outcome of this treatment by measuring of patients' speech and bite force. Patient self-evaluation of masticatory function, denture stability, comfort, appearance, self-confidence, social interaction, patients' perception of their prostheses, and overall satisfaction was also measured, by the use of self-administered questionnaires designed specifically for this purpose. In addition, the psychological status of patients was evaluated with the use of professionally analysed psychological tests. These assessments were carried out three months after the patients started wearing optimised conventional dentures. (2) To provide all ten patients with mandibular implant-retained overdentures anchored by two implant fixtures with ball attachments, to evaluate this treatment outcome and to compare it to the earlier conventional denture treatment. Two months after the use of the implant-retained overdentures all the above assessments were repeated, in order to allow comparison with respect to the evaluated variables. (3) To assess any correlation between maximum occlusal force as measured by the use of a bite force transducer, speech performance as measured by means of perceptual analysis and the subjective measure of patients' perception of treatment outcome as assessed by self-administered questionnaires, before and after implant treatment.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: Kevin Jennings
• Keywords: Dentistry, Quantitative psychology
• Date of Award: 1997
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1997-75919
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 19 Dec 2019 09:15
• Last Modified: 19 Dec 2019 09:15
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/75919