Early Clinical Outcomes of a Simplified Guided Single-Implant Workflow for Mandibular Overdentures: A Prospective Translational Proof-of-Concept Study.
- 1Department of Periodontology, Dental School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
- 2Cosmident, Private Practice, 2500 Lier, Belgium.
- 3Department of Reconstructive Dentistry, Dental School, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The present study evaluated the early clinical outcomes and translational proof-of-concept of a simplified guided single-implant workflow for mandibular overdenture rehabilitation in edentulous patients. Methods: A prospective translational clinical pilot study was conducted in 15 edentulous patients treated using a simplified flapless guided single-implant mandibular overdenture protocol. The workflow was designed to reduce procedural complexity while maintaining clinically applicable surgical and prosthetic integration under routine treatment conditions. All surgical procedures were performed by a single experienced operator. The study was conducted following institutional ethical approval and informed consent procedures. Clinical, radiographic, peri-implant, prosthetic, and patient-reported outcomes were evaluated during the 1-year follow-up period. Marginal bone loss, peri-implant clinical parameters, complications, implant survival, and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) scores were assessed. Results: All planned surgical and prosthetic procedures were completed successfully, with no major intraoperative or protocol-related complications. Implant survival was 100% during the 1-year follow-up period. Mean marginal bone loss was 0.19 ± 0.21 mm at loading and 0.25 ± 0.28 mm at 1 year. Peri-implant clinical parameters remained favorable throughout follow-up. Significant improvement in patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes was observed, with OHIP-14 scores demonstrating substantial reduction following treatment (p < 0.001). The simplified guided approach demonstrated favorable translational feasibility and practical clinical integration under routine treatment conditions. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this prospective translational clinical proof-of-concept study, the proposed simplified guided single-implant workflow demonstrated encouraging early clinical, radiographic, and patient-centered outcomes for mandibular overdenture rehabilitation. Further multicenter investigations involving larger patient cohorts, multiple operators, longer follow-up periods, and comparative study designs are required to evaluate long-term clinical performance, reproducibility, and comparative effectiveness relative to established treatment protocols.
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BibTeX
@article{tudts2026early,
title = {{Early Clinical Outcomes of a Simplified Guided Single-Implant Workflow for Mandibular Overdentures: A Prospective Translational Proof-of-Concept Study.}},
author = {Marco Tudts and Tashia Moodley and Rani D'haese and Stefan Vandeweghe},
journal = {Dentistry journal},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/dj14100654},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930420},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Early Clinical Outcomes of a Simplified Guided Single-Implant Workflow for Mandibular Overdentures: A Prospective Translational Proof-of-Concept Study.
AU - Marco Tudts
AU - Tashia Moodley
AU - Rani D'haese
AU - Stefan Vandeweghe
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/09
JO - Dentistry journal
DO - 10.3390/dj14100654
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42930420
AB - Background/Objectives: The present study evaluated the early clinical outcomes and translational proof-of-concept of a simplified guided single-implant workflow for mandibular overdenture rehabilitation in edentulous patients. Methods: A prospective translational clinical pilot study was conducted in 15 edentulous patients treated using a simplified flapless guided single-implant mandibular overdenture protocol. The workflow was designed to reduce procedural complexity while maintaining clinically applicable surgical and prosthetic integration under routine treatment conditions. All surgical procedures were performed by a single experienced operator. The study was conducted following institutional ethical approval and informed consent procedures. Clinical, radiographic, peri-implant, prosthetic, and patient-reported outcomes were evaluated during the 1-year follow-up period. Marginal bone loss, peri-implant clinical parameters, complications, implant survival, and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) scores were assessed. Results: All planned surgical and prosthetic procedures were completed successfully, with no major intraoperative or protocol-related complications. Implant survival was 100% during the 1-year follow-up period. Mean marginal bone loss was 0.19 ± 0.21 mm at loading and 0.25 ± 0.28 mm at 1 year. Peri-implant clinical parameters remained favorable throughout follow-up. Significant improvement in patient-reported quality-of-life outcomes was observed, with OHIP-14 scores demonstrating substantial reduction following treatment (p < 0.001). The simplified guided approach demonstrated favorable translational feasibility and practical clinical integration under routine treatment conditions. Conclusions: Within the limitations of this prospective translational clinical proof-of-concept study, the proposed simplified guided single-implant workflow demonstrated encouraging early clinical, radiographic, and patient-centered outcomes for mandibular overdenture rehabilitation. Further multicenter investigations involving larger patient cohorts, multiple operators, longer follow-up periods, and comparative study designs are required to evaluate long-term clinical performance, reproducibility, and comparative effectiveness relative to established treatment protocols.
SN - 2304-6767
ER -