COMPARISON OF DIGITAL AND CLASSICAL PROTOCOLS IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH COMPLETE MAXILLARY ADENTITY USING THE "ALL ON FOUR" TECHNIQUE: A 3-YEAR FOLLOW-UP

Today there is a problem of significant prevalence of complete adentia. A modern solution to this problem is implantation followed by prosthetics. However, modern prosthetics is currently impossible without adequate implantation. One of the most predicted methods of implantation in patients with complete edentia is the "All on four" method, which includes the installation of 4 implants at specific angles in the alveolar process. The purpose of this study was to compare digital and traditional protocols in the treatment of patients with complete maxillary adentia using the "All on four" technique during a 3-year follow-up period according to the following parameters: implant survival during a 3-year follow-up period; alveolar ridge height in the implant sites at the end of a 3-year follow-up period; assessment of patient satisfaction with the treatment at the end of a 3-year follow-up period (aesthetic and functional components). Research methods. 70 patients with complete maxillary edentulousness who were treated using the "All on four" technique participated in the study. The total number of implants was 280 units. Implant survival during the 3-year follow-up period was determined at the end of the study by the number of retained implant units. The height of the alveolar ridge in the implant sites was determined at 36 months after the final prosthetics using CBCT data in Planmeca Romexis® software. The patient's satisfaction with the treatment was assessed at 36 months after the final prosthetics on a scale from 0 to 10 points, where 0 meant extreme dissatisfaction with the result, and 10 meant complete satisfaction. The scientific novelty lies in the comparison of the traditional and digital protocols from both the clinician and patient perspectives. The study was also long, with follow-ups conducted over 3 years. Conclusions. When using the digital protocol, a higher percentage of implant survival was observed at the end of the 3-year follow-up. Patients' assessment of the results of treatment using computer-assisted planning is higher than the assessment of the results of treatment by patients who underwent rehabilitation according to the traditional protocol. Taking into account the results of the study, we recommend the use of a digital protocol in the rehabilitation of patients with complete maxillary edentulousness using the All on Four technique.