Evaluation of patient satisfaction and masticatory efficiency of single implant-retained mandibular overdenture using two types of matrices.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate masticatory efficiency and patient satisfaction of ball and silicone-based soft liner and metal matrices for mandibular single implant-retained overdenture . Subjects and Methods: From the removable prosthodontics department clinic, Faculty of Dental Medicine, (Boys, Cairo, Egypt), Al-Azhar University, 10 completely edentulous patients were randomly chosen. The patients were divided into two groups, group I received a single implant-retained overdenture with the ball and metal socket, while group II received a single implant-retained overdenture with the ball and silicone-based soft-liner attachment. Statistical analysis was done using student t-test, the data distribution of normality was done by using the Kolmogorov Smirnov test . Results: It was found that group I recorded a significant increase in masticatory efficiency and there was no significant difference between the two groups in patient satisfaction. Conclusion: Silicone-based soft liners when used as a matrix instead of metal housing produce lower values of masticatory efficiency and equal values of patient satisfaction.