Patient Satisfaction Following Dental Implant Treatment with Immediate Loading in the Edentulous Atrophic Maxilla

Purpose: The present study evaluated patient satisfaction using the Oral Health Impact Profile 49 (OHIP-49) questionnaire for patients who received six implants in the severely resorbed maxilla and an implant-supported prosthesis that was delivered within 24 hours after surgery. Materials and Methods: Fifty-one edentulous patients with severe atrophy in the maxilla were included in the study, which was performed at two centers. Six implants were placed in the maxilla and loaded within 24 hours with a provisional restoration. The definitive restorations were delivered 20 to 24 weeks later. Patients were asked to complete the OHIP-49 questionnaire (which includes seven domains representing functional limitation, physical pain, psychologic discomfort, physical disability, psychologic disability, social disability, and handicap) prior to implant placement and on three subsequent occasions. The data were collected and analyzed and OHIP scores were compared over time. Results: Baseline satisfaction scores for the two different centers displayed no statistically significant differences. Treatment resulted in improved total OHIP-49 scores in both centers, with no significant difference between centers. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in any of the individual pretreatment and posttreatment OHIP-49 domains between centers. All seven domains showed a statistically significant improvement posttreatment. Of the seven domains, social disability and handicap showed the least improvement and had the lowest pretreatment scores, indicating lower significance for these domains compared to the other domains during implant treatment. This study also indicated that domains one to five (functional limitation, physical pain, psychologic discomfort, physical disability, and psychologic disability) are the most important domains in patient satisfaction with implant therapy. Conclusion: Measurement with the OHIP-49 questionnaire displayed that patient satisfaction increases after treatment with a fixed restoration on implants loaded within 24 hours. Keywords: dental implants, oral health-related quality of life, patient satisfaction, treatment outcomes