ITI implants and Dolder bars in the treatment of large traumatic defect of mandible: a clinical report

ITI implants and Dolder bars in the treatment of large traumatic defect of mandible: a clinical report
December 2004
Murat Aydn 1 , Aye Ylmaz 2 , B??lent K?¢tibolu 3 , Elif Pak Tun?? 1
Dental Traumatology
Volume 20 Issue 6 Page 348 - December 2004
Blackwell Synergy Publishing
Abstract The development of more sophisticated implant techniques to produce satisfying results improves the precise planning of both the surgical phase of the implantation and the following prosthetic rehabilitation. Ball and bar attachments are the main retainer systems for implant-bearing overdentures to achieve a successful treatment in the partial or full edentulism. In this clinical report, a 23-year-old male patient, presented with a large traumatic defect in the anterior mandible, was treated with ITI¨? implant and ITI¨? Dolder bar combinations. The reason to prefer this kind of treatment depends on the highest retention capacity and cleaning facilities of the system.

The main reason for the bone loss, especially in the mandible, is generally the resorption depending on aging or because of unfavorably balanced prosthesis, but tumours and traumatic injuries are also among the reasons of severe mandibular bone loss (13). Especially, the severe postoperative tissue loss by the total or partial resection of the mandible, owing to the malign and benign tumors, leads to some difficulties in prosthodontic process, both for the patient, such as reduced stability, insufficient retention, impaired load bearing capacity, and for the clinician, such as establishment difficulties (3, 4). The progression of the use of implant-supported overdenture in the mandibles, which have advanced degree of bone loss, has become a frequent treatment option as stabilizing the denture improves the patient satisfaction (3, 57). The rehabilitation of the patients with large bone defects may favor a connector that offers a considerable amount of stability as given by bar constructions. In many studies, bar constructions may provide sufficient stability if the bar is long enough when atrophic or defected cases are pronounced (1, 2, 811). As far as the oral hygiene is concerned, in patients with intraoral bone defects, bar attachments are also reported to be satisfactory (1, 2, 12).
This clinical report describes the prosthetic treatment procedures of a severely damaged mandible and also the establishment of Dolder bars (ITI¨?, Straumann, Waldenburg, Switzerland), which were preferred because of their retentive features, alloy qualities, and handling facilities.
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