In 1993, a prospective audit of short-stay, general surgery patients assessed consumer knowledge and satisfaction with available information, identifying how current practice might be improved. The audit revealed that more formalised discharge procedures might improve patients' understanding of what to expect as convalescence progressed, increasing their knowledge for appropriate self-care. Community costs were also assessed.

Ambulatory Surgical Procedures↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effects of osseointegrated implants on psychological and social well-being: a comparison with replacement removable prostheses.

Sixty-one patients participated in a longitudinal study designed to compare the psychological effects of osseointegrated implants with those of conventional denture replacements. Thirty-two patients who requested either relining or reconstruction of their dentures were asked to complete questionnaires designed to measure their psychological well-being while they were on a waiting list and then again 6 months after treatment. Their responses were compared with those of 29 patients who had received an osseointegrated implant. While the implant patients had reported significant declines in psychological distress, there was no such change for the denture patients. Although both groups experienced fewer disabling symptoms, the decline was greater for the implant group. Finally, neither group showed evidence of any change in self-esteem. The results suggest that osseointegrated implants can have a more positive effect on well-being than denture replacements.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Measurement of changes in complete mandibular denture security using visual analogue scales.

The security of mandibular dentures for edentulous patients has been quantified using a visual analogue scale. Relining "loose" dentures was shown to produce an increase in the patients' assessments of denture security for 21 out of 23 patients. The security of a denture after relining was found to correlate with the form of the residual mandibular ridge as measured by the mean anterior ridge height.

Alveolar Process↗