Outcome of Treatment with Implant-Retained Dental Prostheses in Patients with Sjögren Syndrome

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the outcome of treatment with implant-retained prostheses in patients suffering from Sjögren syndrome. Eight women were included in the study; all had suffered oral symptoms of Sjögren syndrome for many years. Seven patients were edentulous in both arches, and 1 patient was edentulous in the maxilla only. All patients reported poor or very poor comfort levels with their conventional dentures. It was the intention to treat each arch that showed subjective and objective denture problems with a complete fixed prosthesis after placement of 6 implants. In all, 54 Brånemark dental implants were placed in these patients. No implants were lost, but 7 implants in 4 patients were clinically not osseointegrated at the time of the abutment connection procedure. Because of nonosseointegrated implants and lack of jawbone, 3 arches were treated with an implant-retained overdenture. Fixed prostheses were made with a titanium framework of premachined components welded together (Procera) and acrylic resin teeth and flanges. Patients answered a questionnaire regarding their oral function before the onset of treatment and 1 month and 2 years after treatment. An average radiographic bone loss of 0.7 mm from the time of implant placement to 1 year after treatment was observed; additional bone loss of less than 0.6 mm was recorded 4 years after treatment. During the first year of function 2 implants lost osseointegration. No prostheses were lost or remade. Treatment with implant-retained prostheses considerably increased the prosthetic comfort and function of the patients. Two years after prosthetic treatment, only 1 patient indicated poor comfort of the prostheses, while the remaining patients reported good or very good comfort levels. Keywords: complete denture, dental implants, fixed prosthesis, implant-supported prosthesis, osseointegration, overlay denture, patient satisfaction, prosthesis retention, Sjögren syndrome