Twelve patients from the Prosthodontics Department in the Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University participated in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups. The test group received 4 short implants with ball abutments for the construction of a mandibular assisted overdenture, while the control group received 4 short implants splinted using a bar with a ball attachment for retaining a mandibular overdenture.
The aim of the study was to clinically and radiographically evaluate and compare the use of unsplinted and splinted short implants with ball abutments to support mandibular overdentures in cases with severe mandibular ridge resorption.