A Controlled Longitudinal Study on the Psychological Effects of Osseointegrated Dental Implants

Forty-seven patients participated in a longitudinal study on the psychological effects of the Brånemark implant technique. They were asked to complete questionnaires measuring their psychological well-being and symptom level on two occasions. The first occasion was shortly after the initial prosthetic assessment. Although 29 patients were subsequently accepted for implant treatment, 18 were found to be unsuitable at the later surgical assessment. Both groups of patients were again given the questionnaires approximately 2 years later. The implants were associated with a clinically significant improvement on measures of symptoms and psychological distress, but there was no change in self-esteem. By contrast, the only change in the untreated comparison group was that their level of distress had risen. Keywords: osseointegrated implants, psychological effects, self-esteem, symptoms