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Implant Overdenture Mandible — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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ModerateProsthodonticsImplant Overdenture MandibleORE Part 1

A 60-year-old patient who has been edentulous for 20 years requests replacement of a lower complete denture because it repeatedly dislodges during function. Examination shows a severely resorbed, knife-edge mandibular ridge. Assuming the patient is medically suitable and able to maintain implant treatment, which intervention is most likely to provide the greatest improvement in mandibular denture retention?

Educational content. Not a substitute for clinical judgement or local policy.

Reveal the answer and explanation

Correct answer: A — Provide two mandibular implants to retain an overdenture

Explanation lettering: D = shown as B · E = shown as C · C = shown as D · B = shown as E

The correct answer is **A**. Severe mandibular atrophy provides poor support and limited retentive anatomy for a conventional denture. A two-implant-retained overdenture introduces mechanical attachment retention, giving the most predictable major improvement in denture retention and stability. UK Faculty of Dental Surgery guidance recognises severe jaw atrophy as a situation in which conventional dentures can be difficult to wear and specifies consideration of a two-implant-supported overdenture once technically optimal conventional treatment has been unsuccessful. B can improve fit but cannot restore missing ridge anatomy. C may improve comfort over an irregular ridge but is not a definitive retentive solution. D can deepen the sulcus in selected cases, but is more invasive and does not provide the predictable retention achieved with implants. E may improve denture form, but flange extension alone cannot overcome severe ridge resorption.

Reference: Faculty of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of England. Guidance on the standards of care for NHS-funded dental implant treatment, 2019, section: “Patients who are edentulous in either one jaw or both in whom repeated conventional denture treatment options have been unsuccessful.” https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/-/media/Files/RCS/FDS/Publications/Implant-guidelines.pdf