Clinical and satisfaction outcomes of using one or two dental implants for mandibular overdentures: preliminary short-term follow-up of a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the marginal bone loss and peri-implant aspects in patients with mandibular overdentures retained by one or two implants and assess patient satisfaction, prosthesis-related clinical outcomes, and masticatory efficiency. METHODS: Patients from the School of Dentistry of the University of Passo Fundo (UPF) with lower conventional complete dentures dissatisfied with prosthetic retention were selected. Eighteen patients were analyzed and divided into randomized treatment groups: GA, installation of one implant in the midline of the mandibular symphysis (8 patients), and GB, installation of two implants in the lower canine region (10 patients). Implant survival and prosthetic maintenance were assessed by clinical and radiographic examinations performed 6 months after implant placement and 3 months after loading. Finally, the masticatory efficiency of the prostheses was evaluated with the QoLIP-10 (Quality of Life with Implant-Prostheses) questionnaire, and the degree of patient satisfaction used the visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS: Regarding the esthetic satisfaction of the patients, there was no statistical difference between the two groups studied (p = 0.680). Patients who received two implants presented easier chewing (p = 0.049) and a lower average number of prosthesis maintenance. There was no difference between the groups regarding peri-implant bone resorption 3 months after the use of prostheses. CONCLUSIONS: The use of two dental implants showed higher masticatory ability and lower need for maintenance appointments when compared with one implant in mandibular overdentures but did not affect peri-implant aspects and patient satisfaction. The treatment using one implant was effective for the aspects evaluated, but further clinical studies are required on the subject.

Prevalência de sequelas neurológicas associadas a trauma em face / Prevalence of neurological sequelae associated with facial trauma

Introdução: pacientes acometidos por traumatismo craniofacial podem evoluir com sequelas variadas. Objetivo: identificar a prevalência de sequelas neurológicas ocorridas entre os pacientes com traumatismo craniofacial em um serviço de referência para o trauma no sul do Brasil. Sujeitos e método: foram analisados 1.385 prontuários, em que 169 (12%) pacientes foram selecionados com trauma em crânio e face simultaneamente, levando em consideração o agente etiológico, a procedência, a idade, o sexo do paciente e a localização das fraturas. Resultados: uma taxa de 85% dos indivíduos era do sexo masculino, com faixa etária entre 31-40 anos. Os fatores etiológicos mais prevalentes foram acidentes de trânsito (36%), quedas (22%) e violência interpessoal (21%). No grupo selecionado, o traumatismo cranioencefálico esteve presente em 89% dos casos; em 64% da população, não houve sequela neurológica; 28% apresentaram algum tipo de sequela; e em 8% dos prontuários não havia informações completas. Conclusão: na população estudada, mesmo com um subgrupo específico de traumatizados, houve prevalência de gênero masculino, terceira década de vida e acidente automobilístico. Além disso, a região anatômica mais acometida foi o conjunto de ossos do terço médio da face, e, ainda nesta condição de associação, o traumatismo cranioencefálico esteve presente na maioria dos casos, porém, somente 28% dos casos evoluíram com alguma sequela neurológica. (AU)

Introduction: patients affected by craniofacial trauma may evolve into various sequelae. Objective: to identify the prevalence of neurological sequelae among patients with craniofacial trauma in a reference trauma service in southern Brazil. Subjects and method: a total of 1.385 medical records were analyzed, from which 169 (12%) patients were selected with simultaneous skull and face trauma, considering the etiologic agent, origin, age and sex of the patient, and fracture location. Results: a rate of 85% of the individuals were men aged 31 through 40 years. The most prevalent etiological factors were car accidents (36%), falls (22%), and interpersonal violence (21%). In this selected group, traumatic brain injury was present in 89% of the cases. In 64% of the population, there were no neurological sequelae, 28% presented some type of sequelae, and 8% of the medical records did not contain complete information. Conclusion: for this population studied, even with a specific subgroup of traumatized subjects, the male sex, the third decade of life, and car accidents are the most prevalent factors. In addition, the most affected anatomic region is the set of bones in the middle third of the face and, in this condition of association, traumatic brain injury was present in the great majority of cases, but only 28% of them evolved into some type of neurological sequelae. (A)