The effect of implant prosthesis complications on patient satisfaction.

Statement Of Problem: How complications regarding implant prostheses affect patient satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) is unclear.

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective study was to compare patient satisfaction with implant restorations in patients with or without a history of complications. These data were used to determine whether implant prosthesis complications affected self-reported OHRQoL.

Material And Methods: Data were gathered from 176 edentulous and partially dentate patients who had received implant prostheses consisting of implant-supported crowns, implant-supported overdentures, and screw-retained fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) in predoctoral and postdoctoral clinics between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014. Demographics and complications were self-reported by means of a survey. Patients rated their OHRQoL using the Quality of Life with Implant-Prostheses (QoLIP-10) questionnaire. Means were compared by using a 1-way ANOVA to compare the variables of prosthesis complications, sociodemographic data, and patient satisfaction. Significantly different variables were further evaluated using a post hoc Tukey-Kramer Honestly Significant Different (HSD) test (α=.05).

Results: Statistically significant differences in patient satisfaction were found related to prosthesis complications, gender, and marital status. The most common complication for implant-supported crowns was screw loosening. For implant-supported overdentures and screw-retained FDPs, the most common complication was repair of the prosthesis. Those who had experienced complications reported lower OHRQoL scores than those who had not. Women and widows/widowers overall reported lower OHRQoL scores. The OHRQoL scores of women with and without prosthesis complications were not statistically different (P=.073). No significant differences were found relative to age (P=.937) or education (P=.302). Patients without complications with implant-supported crowns reported the lowest satisfaction because of oral hygiene difficulties. The lowest satisfaction in patients with complications of implant-supported overdentures and screw-retained FDPs was related to worry/concern because of problems with the implant prosthesis.

Conclusions: The results of this survey suggest that patients who experience complications with an implant prosthesis report a lower OHRQoL score than those who do not. Future studies are needed to evaluate patient satisfaction by comparing prosthesis complications with and without implants to determine whether patients who have had complications with implant prostheses are more satisfied than those who have experienced complications with conventional prostheses.