ArticleBMC oral health2026
Ten-year marginal bone loss in mandibular overdentures with ball vs. locator attachments: a retrospective cohort study.
Article in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundBall and locator attachments are widely used for mandibular implant-supported overdentures (IODs), yet long-term comparative data remain limited. This retrospective cohort study evaluated 10-year marginal bone loss (MBL) and peri-implant soft-tissue outcomes in patients restored with two-implant mandibular overdentures.
methodsRecords of patients treated between 2013 and 2014 were reviewed. Thirty-five patients with complete baseline, 1-, 5-, and 10-year clinical and radiographic data were included. MBL was measured on calibrated panoramic radiographs using a thread-based quantitative method with individualized pixel-millimeter scaling. Probing pocket depth (PPD), plaque index (PI), and gingival index (GI) were recorded at each visit. All measurements were performed by a calibrated examiner blinded to group assignment. Group comparisons were conducted at p < 0.05, and effect sizes were used to support clinical interpretation.
resultsBoth attachment systems showed stable peri-implant outcomes across the 10-year follow-up. MBL values were comparable between groups (p > 0.05) and remained within clinically acceptable limits. The locator group exhibited a transient mid-term increase in probing depth and gingival index, but these changes were small in magnitude, associated with medium-to-small effect sizes, and resolved by the 10-year evaluation. PI scores were similar between groups at all follow-up intervals.
conclusionsBall and locator attachments demonstrated comparable 10-year peri-implant outcomes, and the minor mid-term soft-tissue variations in the locator group were transient and clinically insignificant.
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