Comparison of The Effect of Ball and Socket Versus Magnetic Attachments on Bone Density at Lateral Apical Region of Implant Supported Maxillary Obturators.

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate and compare the effect of ball-and-socket and magnetic attachments on peri- implant bone density at the lateral apical region of interest (ROI) in implant-supported maxillary obturators.

Materials and Methods: Ten completely edentulous hemimaxillectomy patients were rehabilitated with maxillary obturators supported by three implants placed in the intact

 premaxillary segment. Patients were randomly allocated into two equal groups according to attachment type: ball-and-socket attachments and magnetic attachments. Bone density at the

lateral apical ROI was assessed using the software Digora system. Data collected after 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Intergroup comparisons were performed using an independent t-test, while longitudinal changes were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results: Both groups demonstrated progressive increases in peri-implant bone density throughout the follow-up period. The ball-and-socket attachment group showed significantly  greater bone density changes than the magnetic attachment group at all evaluation intervals for the three implants (P < 0.05). At 12 months, mean bone density values for Implant 1 were 670 ±

30 and 610 ± 35, for Implant 2 were 660 ± 31 and 600 ± 36, and for Implant 3 were 670 ± 28 and 605 ± 34 in the ball-and-socket and magnetic groups, respectively.

Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study, ball-and-socket attachments demonstrated significantly greater improvement in peri-implant bone density than magnetic attachments in implant-supported maxillary obturators, suggesting more favorable biomechanical response around supporting implants.