Lyndon Cooper: Endosseous dental implants - transformational for the edentulous

AAOMS data estimate that by the age of 74, 26 % of all adults will have lost all of their permanent teeth. Dr Cooper points out, that the care of the octagenarian is a challenge for dental profession, but also a major opportunity. Dr Cooper reviews the main parameters related to implant retained or implant supported overdentures and discusses aspects of number of implants, prosthetic attachments, complications, maintenance and and innovation options. Simple restoration designs do not lead to lower patient satisfaction however are easier to clean for elderly patients and reduce plaque accumulation and risk of inflammation. Dr Cooper summarizes and concludes, that implant retained overdentures offer edentulous patients practical, physiological and social advantages over dentures, that simple overdenture prostheses supported by 2 implants in the mandible and 4 implants in the maxilla offer success at a limited expense, and that complications occur, but can be controlled by simple and straigthforward prosthetic restoration design.