Nutritional outcomes in edentulous patients with conventional and single-implant overdentures: A cross-sectional study

The elderly patients who have their edentulas compromised by aging usually have impaired nutritional status because of their inability to masticate their food and have a diverse diet using standard complete dentures. The on-going prospective cross-over trial has put five fully edentulous patients (mean age 60 years) to assess and compare whether conventional complete dentures and single implant-retained overdentures have differences in their effects on sensitive nutritional markers. Nutritional assessment was done through serum pre-albumin, albumin, vitamin B12, iron and haemoglobin at the baseline (edentulous), one month of CD placement and one month of IOD placement. Compared to traditional dentures, central single implant-retained overdentures have shown to provide better nutritional result, especially in highly sensitive indices like pre-albumin and albumin indicating a better station of dietary consumption and protein-energy condition in edentulous elderly patients.