Masticatory Ability for a Single Implant Mandibular Overdenture Retained by Two Different Attachments: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to compare the masticatory ability subjectively between ball and Cendres+Métaux Locator (CM-LOC) attachment for a single implant retained mandibular overdenture throughout a 24-month follow-up period.

Materials And Methods: Eighty completely edentulous patients were recruited. All patients received new complete dentures, and masticatory ability was recorded using a questionnaire (baseline record). All patients received a single implant in the midline of the completely edentulous mandible. After 3-month healing period, patients were randomized using sealed envelopes into two groups: ball or CM-LOC attachment. The same masticatory ability questionnaire was used to record masticatory ability for both groups after 2 weeks of pickup and 3-, 6-, 9-, 12-, and 24-month follow-up. Comparison between the study groups was done using Mann-Whitney test for independent samples. Two-sided values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: The mean masticatory scores improved for both attachments, with no statistically significant difference between them throughout the 24-month follow-up. The CM-LOC attachment group showed a greater improvement change in masticatory ability after 6- and 12-month follow-up (-12.47 ± 12.006, -11.46 ± 14.625; =0.826), while the ball attachment group showed a slight improvement after the 24-month follow-up (-11.72 ± 12.368, -10.88 ± 11.963; =0.778).

Conclusion: Single implant retained mandibular overdenture improved masticatory ability subjectively with no significant difference between both attachments used although the ball attachment showed better masticatory ability scores after 24-month follow-up.