Outcome assessment of implant-supported prostheses

Statement of problem. From the dental professional's standpoint, implant rehabilitation offers dramatically improved treatment alternatives to orally disabled patients. However, what a patient perceives as important to their function and satisfaction with their prostheses may be quite different from what the dentist believes are significant health-related improvements. Purpose. To resolve this problem, a series of investigations were designed to measure satisfaction and performance in groups of patients who wore various types of prostheses supported by endosseous titanium implants. Material and methods. Methods are described for assessing treatment efficacy and population needs, including measures of perceived levels of disability, health-related quality of life, and functional capacity. Results. The findings highlight patient factors that have not been considered before and appear to contribute to the success of prosthetic rehabilitation for the edentulous patient. Conclusion, Patient-centered approaches to the assessment of treatment efficacy are highly relevant to today's prosthodontists, whose goals are the improvement of function and quality of life for their patients.