Effect of Two Implant-supported Partial Overdenture Attachment Design on the Periodontal Health.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate and compare the effect of locator attachment and ball and socket (BS) attachment on the peri-implant and periabutment supporting structures on clinical pocket depth and gingival index in cases of limited interarch spaces in mandibular Kennedy class I implant-supported removable partial overdentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comparative clinical trial was conducted among twenty partially edentulous patients aged 30-60 years. The study participants were randomly divided into two study groups based on the attachment system used: group I - locator attachment, and group II - BS attachment. Two implants were positioned in the 1st or 2nd molar area following the two-stage surgical protocol. Evaluation of the peri-implant and periabutment supporting structures was done at the time of overdenture insertion and after 6, 12, and 18 months by measuring the pocket depth and gingival index. Inter- and intragroup comparisons were done using independent-samples t test and paired-sample t test respectively. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: It was observed that there was a statistically significant increase in the pocket depth around the implant as well as the abutment in both groups at 6, 12, and 18 months when compared to baseline. Intergroup comparison for pocket depth and gingival index revealed nonsignificant results. However, the values were higher in the BS group. CONCLUSION: The locator attachment group had lower, though statistically not significant, pocket depth and gingival index scores around both the dental implant and the natural abutment as compared with the BS attachment. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Gingival health surrounding dental implant attachments is very crucial for the long-term success of dental implant, this could help the clinician to select the proper design for implant attachment underneath the over denture prosthesis.