Basic Study
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World J Methodol. Sep 20, 2025; 15(3): 101057
Published online Sep 20, 2025. doi: 10.5662/wjm.v15.i3.101057
Comparative evaluation of retentive capacity of three different attachment systems for implant retained overdentures: An in vitro study
Radha Chauhan, Narendra Padiyar, Pragati Kaurani, Ajay Gupta, Sachin Chauhan
Radha Chauhan, Narendra Padiyar, Pragati Kaurani, Ajay Gupta, Department of Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital, Jaipur 302022, Rājasthān, India
Sachin Chauhan, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Sudha Rustagi College of Dental Sciences and Research, Faridabad 121002, Haryāna, India
Author contributions: Padiyar UN was responsible for conception and supervision; Kaurani P designed the study and reviewed literature; Chauhan R collected data and wrote the manuscript; Chauhan R, Chauhan S, and Gupta A analyzed and interpreted data.
Institutional review board statement: This study received approval from the ethical scientific committee of the local institution (Mahatma Gandhi Dental College and Hospital, Jaipur, India).
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The dataset is available from the corresponding author atdrsachinchauhan13@gmail.com.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Sachin Chauhan, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Sudha Rustagi College of Dental Sciences and Research, 1519 Sector 28, Faridabad 121002, Haryāna, India. drsachinchauhan13@gmail.com
Received: September 3, 2024
Revised: November 19, 2024
Accepted: December 18, 2024
Published online: September 20, 2025
Processing time: 183 Days and 19.3 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

The primary issue in managing edentulous patients is the severely resorbed mandibular ridge, particularly in older individuals with diminished adaptive capacities. This compromised situation leads to the fabrication of inadequate dentures that lack retention and stability, potentially causing psychosocial issues.

AIM

To determine the difference in retentive capacity between three attachment systems in implant-retained overdentures.

METHODS

Three edentulous mandibular models were fabricated using heat-cured polymethacrylate resin, with two implant replicas placed in the intra-foraminal region of each model. 30 acrylic resin mandibular overdentures were fabricated with provisions for three different overdenture attachment systems: A prefabricated ball/O-ring attachment, a locator attachment system, and an equator attachment system. Each model was subjected to 15000 pulls using a universal testing machine to remove the overdenture from the acrylic model and the force data were recorded.

RESULTS

The ball/O-ring attachment system demonstrated superior retentive capacity for 15 years, while the locator and equator attachment systems maintained excellent retentive capacity for 5 years.

CONCLUSION

The ball/O-ring attachment system outperformed better than the other two attachment systems regarding retentive capacity. The locator and equator attachment systems presented sufficient retentive abilities until 15000 cycles. After 7500 cycles, significant differences in retentive force between the systems evolved.

Keywords: Dentures; Overdenture attachment systems; Equator; Dislodging cycles; Retentive capacity

Core Tip: The extensively resorbed mandibular ridge is the most common issue when treating edentulous patients, particularly as they age and lose some of their adaptive abilities. This often leads to the fabrication of unsatisfactory dentures with low retention and stability, potentially exacerbating psychological issues. In contrast, patients with maladaptive dentures showed excellent clinical outcomes with implant-supported overdentures. For edentulous patients, the mandibular 2-implant overdenture is the preferred treatment approach.