Overdentures may have little impact on nutrient status.

Data sourcesData sources Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL).Study selectionRandomised control trials (RCTs), cohort study or case control studies involving prosthetic treatment where the outcomes included change in intakes of macronutrients (ie proteins, fats and carbohydrates) and/or micronutrients (eg vitamins and calcium) and/or indicators for nutritional status were considered.Data extraction and synthesisTwo reviewers independently screened the studies, with one reviewer abstracting data for checking by a second reviewer. Risk of bias was assessed independently by two reviewers using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. A fixed effects model was used to estimate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI for change in body mass index (BMI), albumin and serum vitamin B12 between overdenture and conventional denture six months after treatment.ResultsEight studies (six RCTs and two prospective cohort studies) involving a total of 901 patients were included in a narrative synthesis. Three RCTs (322 patients) contributed to a meta-analysis suggesting no significant difference in change in BMI between an overdenture and conventional denture six months after treatment WMD= -0.18 kg/m2 (95%CI; -0.52 to 0.16), and no significant difference in change in albumin or vitamin B12 between the two treatments.ConclusionsThe modifying effect of overdenture treatment on nutritional status might be limited. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of denture treatments.