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Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the professional time required for the
prosthodontic maintenance events of mandibular implant overdentures during the first
year of service using three different implant systems (ITI, Steri-Oss, or Southern).
Materials and Methods: Seventy-two mandibular implant overdenture patients were
allocated to three equal groups, each treated with a different implant system. Data on
prosthodontic maintenance events during the first year were categorized and analyzed
according to professional time allocation per procedure. Results: The total professional
time required to perform all the maintenance events ranged between 29.0 and 34.0 hours
and did not differ significantly among the three groups, although there were time
differences for matrix activation and replacement. When combining the professional time
for all maintenance events for the mandibular overdentures alone, or with the opposing
maxillary complete dentures, there were no significant differences between groups. For
maintenance of the maxillary dentures, there was an unexplained difference between the
Southern group and ITI or Steri-Oss groups (P < .05). Conclusion: The prosthodontic
maintenance for mandibular implant overdentures required on average 72 to 98 minutes
of professional time per patient during the first year of service, depending on the system
used. Int J Prosthodont 2002;15:379–384.
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