ITI Evening Seminar Wellington with Prof. Frauke Muller

In New Zealand there is an increasing number of older persons who retain their natural dentition until later in life. Accordingly edentulous patients will not only be older, they will also be also more challenging to treat. Implant-supported overdentures (IODs) may significantly improve the functional performance in most domains, particularly the bite force and chewing efficiency. They also significantly improve the patients’ OHRQoL. Their design should take into consideration the physiological signs of ageing, but also the morbidity and social context. The lecture presents step by step the manufacturing of age-adequate IODs with conventional and digital workflows. Digital techniques may also be employed to meet the requirements of very old patients with reduced neuroplasticity, as they allow to import successful features from an existing denture. IOD management may become a challenge at the onset of dependency when denture handling relies on the knowledge and skill of caring staff. At this stage, hygiene is even more crucial to prevent aspiration pneumonia. The “back-off” strategy aims at accompanying the functional decline. In summary, IODs significantly enhance oral function and denture satisfaction and therefore be considered a valuable mosaic in the dental treatment for older adults.

Learning objectives

1. Design an age-adequate removable prosthesis

2. Develop concepts for patients with reduced neuroplasticity

3. Know strategies to accompany future functional decline in very old and multimorbid patients