Aim: To compare between nylon and PEEK retentive insert of locator attachments on peri-implant tissue health in mandibular implant overdenture.
Materials and methods: Twelve completely edentulous healthy patients were selected for this study. Every patient received two implants at the canine region bilaterally. According to the type of attachment received, patients were divided into two groups: Group I: overdenture was retained by locator attachment with nylon retentive insert (n=6); Group II: overdenture was retained by locator attachment with PEEK retentive insert (n=6). Evaluation of peri-implant tissue health was done for two implant-retained mandibular overdenture with locator attachment at overdenture insertion, after two weeks, three months and six months using plastic periodontal probe. The categories of peri-implant tissue health evaluation in this study included plaque index, bleeding on probing, and probing depth. The data was analyzed using SPSS and p-value less than 0.05 was considered significant.
Results: At base line and 2 weeks, no significant difference in plaque scores was observed between groups. At 3 months and 6 months, PEEK inserts recorded significant higher plaque scores than nylon inserts. At all observation times, no significant difference in bleeding on probing scores was observed between two groups. Nylon inserts recorded significant higher probing depth than PEEK inserts at all observational times.
Conclusion: PEEK insert could provide a successful alternative to nylon insert for locator attachment in implant-retained overdenture. However, long term follow-up is needed due to the significant increase in plaque accumulation for PEEK inserts.