• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2019

In the case of a patient with a small number of unilateral remaining teeth in the mandible, a restoration with conventional removable partial denture cannot provide sufficient retention and resistance. A harmful stress from the poor stability of denture on remaining teeth occurs due to alveolar bone resorption in edentulous area. Although implant fixed prosthesis can provide multiple benefits over conventional removable partial denture, there are limitations come from anatomic structures and costs. In this case, an implant-assisted removable partial denture (IARPD) with a couple of implants placed in strategic positions can be a treatment modality. The objective of this article is to present a case report of two patients showed satisfactory clinical outcomes during three-year follow-up period describing the fabrication and advantages of removable partial denture assisted by teeth and implants (IARPD) for a patient with a small number of unilateral remaining teeth in mandible using Locator as an implant attachment.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.12-21
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• 2022

PURPOSE. The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in retention and wear pattern of Locator^® and ADD-TOC attachments on a digital milled bar by performing chewing simulation and repeated insertion/removal of prostheses in fully edentulous models. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Locator (Locator^®; Zest Anchors Inc., Escondido, CA, USA) was selected as the control group and ADD-TOC (ADD-TOC; PNUAdd Co., Ltd., Busan, Republic of Korea) as the experimental group. A CAD-CAM milled bar was mounted on a master model and 3 threaded holes for connecting a bar attachment was formed using a tap. Locator and ADD-TOC attachments were then attached to the milled bar. Simulated mastication and repeated insertion/removal were performed over 400,000 cyclic loadings and 1,080 insertions/removals, respectively. Wear patterns on deformed attachment were investigated by field emission scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS. For the ADD-TOC attachments, chewing simulation and repeated insertion/removal resulted in a mean initial retentive force of 24.43 ± 4.89 N, which were significantly lower than that of the Locator attachment, 34.33 ± 8.25 N (P < .05). Amounts of retention loss relative to baseline for the Locator and ADD-TOC attachments were 21.74 ± 7.07 and 8.98 ± 5.76 N (P < .05). CONCLUSION. CAD-CAM milled bar with the ADD-TOC attachment had a lower initial retentive force than the Locator attachment. However, the ADD-TOC attachment might be suitable for long-term use as it showed less deformation and had a higher retentive force after simulated mastication and insertion/removal repetitions.

• The Journal of Advanced Prosthodontics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.116-120
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• 2012

Various options have been introduced for the selection of implant overdenture attachments. Attachment wear due to the repeated insertion and removal of dentures has caused problems such as decreased retention and the requirement for suprastructure remanufacturing. In these cases, a Locator bar system was applied using the drill and tapping technique to achieve total retrievability. In a 55-year-old female patient who showed three degrees of mobility in most of her teeth due to severe alveolar bone loss, a complete denture in the maxilla and an implant supported type overdenture in the mandible were planned after extracting all the remaining teeth. Six implants were placed from canine region to the distal molar region, and the locator was connected to the milled bar using the drill and tapping technique. For a 61-year-old female edentulous patient who complained of poor retention with old denture, a complete denture in the maxilla and an implant-tissue supported type overdenture in the mandible were planned. Four implants were placed in front of mental foramen, and the Locator was also connected to the Hader bar using the drill and tapping technique. With this technique, female parts can be easily replaced, and retention can be continuously maintained.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.311-318
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• 2017

Several types of attachments have been used for implant supported and/or retained overdentures. Locator is one of the stud type attachments and it has been generally used. However, the colored matrix is resilient and vulnerable to wear, so frequent post-insertion maintenance is needed. To solve this problem, it is necessary to introduce innovative attachment system. Overdentures using Air Gap attachment (AGA) has improved masticatory function and facial esthetics. AGA is made of metal, so it could be more resistant to wear or friction than the other resilient attachments. Nevertheless, AGA plays a role in stress breakers because it allows movement during denture movement with predetermined gap. In addition, both pre-existing implants and natural teeth were successfully used for connection of AGA. AGA could replace other unsplinted type of attachments. Overdentures using AGA could provide satisfactory result in terms of function, esthetics and retention. However, long term follow up is needed.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.352-358
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• 2015

The retention of complete dentures in patients with Parkinson's disease is often poor due to their constant dislodgement by involuntary movements of the tongue and lips. Furthermore, insertion of the overdenture is expected to be difficult due to their limited voluntary movements. This case is about the bimaxillary overdenture restoration where its retention and stability are improved, using magnetic attachment of remained roots of maxilla and two implant $Locator^{(R)}$ attachments of mandible in patients with Parkinson's disease. This report describes the fabrication of this functionally improved prosthesis.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.55 no.8
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• pp.528-536
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• 2017

Treatment with removable partial denture is effective for partially edentulous patients who are unable to obtain sufficient retention and stability for functional and esthetic restoration. There are several cases reporting the improvement of retention and stability of the partial denture using a small number of implants. However, there are limited studies on the implant-assisted removable partial denture using a small number of remaining teeth and the bar locator system. The bar locator system has an advantage in that it could compensate the angle of insertion of removable prosthesis on implant with inconsistent placement angle due to anatomical constraints compared to when using the locator only. This case report describes the patient with $Parkinson^{\circ}$Øs disease who was treated with the Locator bar system using two previously placed implants and two remaining teeth on maxilla. No additional implants could be placed because of the medical and economic condition of the patients, and the angle of one of two implants could not be matched with the direction of the removable partial denture insertion. Considering the angle of the implants, the patient was treated with implant-assisted RPD using the Locator bar system and had satisfactory results in the aspect of esthetics, masticatory function, and oral hygiene maintenance.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.515-522
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• 2021

Successful cases of the implant-assisted removable partial denture and implant overdentures are reported in which a few implants are additionally placed to secure the maintenance, support, and stability of the denture when there are a few residual teeth. When the lateral force applied to the tooth abutment and implant surveyed crown is minimized, the horizontal and rotational movement of the denture is significantly reduced which is an effective method that can improve the address in patients who complain of reduced retention and stability of their dentures. In this case, a small number of implants were placed to fabricate an implant-assisted removable partial denture with implant surveyed crown in the maxilla and implant overdenture with Locator^® attachment in the mandible to improve the retention, stability, and support of the dentures. The patient was satisfied with both functional and aesthetic aspects after the final dentures were delivered.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.137-144
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• 2020

Implant-fixed prostheses and removable partial dentures are widely used as a traditional treatment method for partially edentulous patients who have lost multiple teeth. Recently, there has been increasing interest in implant-assisted removable partial denture (IARPD), which additionally obtains retention and support using a small number of implants. The IARPDs have higher retention, stability, and aesthetics than conventional removable dentures. It also has the effect of reducing the cost as well as the burden of surgery by placing a small number of implants at the edentulous site. In this case, the patient with a partial edentulous state that has multiple numbers of tooth loss in maxilla initially planned to be treated with implant fixed prosthesis. However, the treatment plan was changed to IARPD using Bar and Locator due to several factors. The clinical results were satisfactory on the aspect of esthetic and masticatory function.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.59 no.2
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• pp.173-180
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the retentive characteristics of the additional attachments used with implant bar attachment under repeated insertion/removal cycles. Materials and methods: The newly developed attachment and the commercially available attachment were investigated: ADD-Lock (AL), Locator blue (LB). Two fixtures were placed parallel to each other on the custom lower mounting, and patrix of each attachment was fixed to the fixture. Also, the matrix of each attachment was placed on the opposing upper mounting. A universal testing machine was used to measure the retentive force during initial, 100, 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 2500 repeated insertion/removal cycles. Wear and deformation of the attachment s were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mann-Whitney U test (α=.05) and wilcoxon signed-rank test (α=.05) were performed to compare retentive force between each group and before and after 2500 repeated insertion/removal cycles. Results: In terms of initial retentive force and retentive force after 2500 repeated insertion/removal cycles, the AL group (15.24 ± 1.46 N and 9.74 ± 1.16 N) showed significantly smaller values than the LB group (43.53 ± 12.39 N and 22.99 ± 4.77 N) (P<.05). Also, in the loss of retentive force, the AL group (5.50 ± 1.08 N, 36.08%) showed a smaller value than the LB group (20.54 ± 11.89 N, 47.19%) (P<.05). Based on SEM analysis, The AL group showed noticeable wear and deformation in the patrix and the LB group in the matrix. Conclusion: Locator showed a higher initial retentive force than newly developed attachment, while the loss of retentive force was also higher. Both additional attachments are considered to have sufficient retentive force after repeated insertion/removal cycles.

• The Journal of Korean Academy of Prosthodontics
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• v.57 no.3
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• pp.271-279
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• 2019

There are several unfavorable conditions regarding alveolar bone condition that may compromise the denture patient's satisfaction. Chewing efficiency may not be satisfactory when alveolar bone is deficient, and the denture stability could hardly be achieved when alveolar bone shape is irregular. Implant overdenture can be useful to provide satisfactory denture experience compared to conventional denture. The attachment for implant overdenture can be classified into bar attachment and solitary attachment. When the positions of the implants are in the mandibular anterior region, bar attachment may be favorable to obtain a rigid support of the entire denture. When implants are distributed both on anterior and posterior region, a solitary attachment could be considered for ease of removal and maintenance. This report presents implant overdenture cases with the patients that had unilateral mandibular alveolar bone atrophy conditions. Different abutments were chosen based on the individual patient's mandibular alveolar bone condition and the treatments were successful in terms of patient satisfaction.