Prof. Dr. Anita Visser, Speaker at Edentulism2023
Episode summary
Prof. Dr. Anita Visser, professor of geriatric dentistry at the University of Groningen (UMCG) and Radboud University, discusses treatment planning for edentulous patients across the lifespan on the ZAGA Centers Podcast ahead of Edentulism2023. After 25 years as a maxillofacial prosthodontist, Visser argues that no patient and no jaw is the same, so each rehabilitation must be individualized against the advantages and disadvantages of every available option, from removable dentures to zygomatic implants. She stresses that patients inevitably grow older and frailer, developing conditions such as dementia, Parkinson's and dysphagia that complicate both treatment and daily oral hygiene. Her central recommendation is to keep constructions simple and modifiable and to always have a plan B, so that a fixed prosthesis can be converted to a maintainable removable one and chewing function preserved without repeat surgery. She warns that peri-implant infection around zygomatic implants is more severe than around lower-jaw implants.
Key takeaways
- Prof. Dr. Anita Visser is a professor of geriatric dentistry at the University of Groningen (UMCG) and Radboud University, Nijmegen, and previously worked 25 years as a maxillofacial prosthodontist.
- No two edentulous patients or jaws are alike, so every rehabilitation must be an individual plan weighing the advantages and disadvantages of all treatment options.
- Frail elderly patients often present with dementia, Parkinson's, sarcopenia, diabetes and polypharmacy, which interfere with both delivering treatment and maintaining oral hygiene.
- Constructions for edentulous patients should be simple and modifiable, with a plan B so that losing some implants does not render the whole superstructure a failure.
- A peri-implant infection tracking up to the zygoma is more severe and health-threatening than infection around a failing lower-jaw implant.
- Younger patients receiving all-on-4, all-on-X or zygomatic implants will also age, so plans should allow conversion from fixed to removable prostheses that a frail patient can still clean.
- The goal of treatment is to preserve chewing and oral function, maintain health and aesthetics, and keep the rehabilitation maintainable for the patient's whole life.
What you'll learn
- Why no single implant protocol fits every edentulous patient
- How dementia, Parkinson's, dysphagia and polypharmacy change dental treatment for the frail elderly
- Designing modifiable superstructures with a built-in plan B for implant loss
- The heightened risk of peri-implant infection around zygomatic vs. lower-jaw implants in aging patients
- Planning today's 40-50 year-old all-on-4 / zygomatic cases for maintainability at age 80
About the guest
Prof. Dr. Anita Visser
Anita Visser is a professor of geriatric dentistry (gerodontology) at the University of Groningen (UMCG) and Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. She trained and worked for 25 years as a maxillofacial prosthodontist in the oral and maxillofacial surgery department at UMCG, where prosthodontists and oral surgeons collaborated closely on complex reconstructions. Her PhD focused on aftercare in implants and prosthodontics, and her work now centers on geriatric dentistry, implantology, maxillofacial prosthetics and the oral care of frail, aging patients.
Credentials: Professor of Geriatric Dentistry, University of Groningen (UMCG) and Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen; former maxillofacial prosthodontist
