Statement of problem: Dental implants are expanding their use among partially edentulous patients. However, whether implants can promote the quality of life (QOL) of these patients has not been sufficiently examined.
Purpose: This study compared the QOL level among implant denture, removable partial denture, and no restoration patients with distal extension type unilateral mandibular edentulism.
Material and methods: Three groups (n = 12 each) of subjects with unilateral mandibular distal-extension edentulism who were matched for age, sex, and missing teeth were studied. The groups were (1) implant denture, (2) removable partial denture, and (3) no restoration. QOL levels of these 3 groups were compared using a self-administered questionnaire with 3 major subscales: oral condition, general condition, and dental treatment.
Results: The implant denture group showed higher oral condition related QOL score than the other groups. There was no significant difference in oral condition-related QOL scores between the removable partial denture and no restoration groups. There was no significant difference in the general condition related QOL score and dental treatment-related score among the 3 groups.
Conclusion: In unilateral mandibular distal extension edentulous patients, oral-condition-related QOL levels for dental implant patients were higher than those of removable partial denture or no restoration patients. The QOL levels of the removable partial denture patients were almost identical to those of no restoration patients.