Comparison of the effect of conventional and implant-retained overdentures on brain activity and cognition in a geriatric population – A Functional MRI study

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the effect of rehabilitation with complete dentures versus implant-retained overdenture on activity in various parts of the brain cognition in a geriatric edentulous population via Functional MRI (fMRI) studies and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE).

Methods: Ten completely edentulous patients were rehabilitated with both complete dentures and two-implant retained overdentures for three months each. fMRI studies were performed for each modality during chewing and recall tasks at three time periods: T0: Completely Edentulous(CE) T1: after three months of wearing Conventional Complete Dentures(CD) and T2: after three months of wearing Implant-retained Overdentures (IOD). The Z scores obtained from the fMRI at these phases of examination were tabulated and correlated with MMSE scores obtained at the corresponding time periods.

Results: Z scores obtained during the memory recall tasks at T2 were the greatest (Prefrontal Cortex (p=0.059) and Hippocampus (p=0.036). The MMSE scores obtained were significantly higher for the IODs when compared to the CDs and Baseline values (p < 0.05)

Conclusion: IODs may potentially result in superior sensory feedback in edentulous patients and lead to improved cognitive performance when compared to conventional complete dentures.