27 Maxillary implant overdentures: bars or solitary attachments Normality testing Regarding MBLC and PDC, normality of data was assumed since the Shapiro-Wilk test did not result in a significant difference between the groups and the histograms had a bell-shaped curve. The PROMs did show a significant difference between the groups, thus normality of data was not assumed. Marginal bone level change The mean MBLC after 5 years was -1.41±1.38mm for the solitary attachment group and -0.99±0.96mm for the bar group, which was statistically significant (p=0.024, Table 2.1). Implant survival rate Five implants in five participants were lost during osseointegration (three in the solitary attachment group, two in the bar group); they were not replaced since an overdenture could still be fabricated using the remaining three implants. No additional implants were lost in the first year but, after five years, four other participants had lost seven implants, all in the solitary attachment group. This resulted in a 5-year survival rate of 89.5% in the solitary attachment group and 96.3% in the bar group. The difference in implant survival between the groups was statistically significant (p = 0.027, Log Rank test, Fig. 2.4). Figure 2.4 | Kaplan Meier curve of implant survival. 2
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk4NDMw