The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the improvement in oral and systemic conditions and health-related quality of life in patients with missing teeth receiving dental implants and conventional treatment.

A total of 97 patients with missing teeth, of whom 59 received dental implants and 38 received conventional treatment, were included in this study. The patients were divided into two age groups for a more detailed analysis: a 30- to 59-year age group (young) and a >60-year age group. The changes in oral condition, mental health, and health utility level before and after (pre- and post-, respectively) the procedures were assessed using an original questionnaire, the General Health Questionnaire 12 (GHQ12), and Health Utilities Index Mark 3 .

Responses to the GHQ12 indicated that treatment with implants significantly improved the oral health of patients in all treatment groups, except for the young group receiving partial dentures (PD). The mental state improved with a lower GHQ score; in terms of pre- versus post-procedure, mental state improved after the procedure in the young group receiving full dentures (FD) (1.75 ± 2.12 vs. 0.88 ± 2.10, p p p p Conclusions

Recovery of oral function and oral stability in middle-aged people who did not receive implants was possible with PD. However, the results suggest that implant treatment in edentulous denture cases and particularly in elderly people with dentures has a certain efficacy on the physical condition mediated through an improvement in aspects of the mental state.