Comparative assessment of retention loss of Locator and OT Equator attachment in implant-supported overdentures: A literature review

Overdenture is any removable dental prosthesis that covers and rests on one or more remaining natural teeth, the roots of natural teeth, and/or dental implants. A complete removable denture was the conventional therapy for edentulism for decades. Overdentures can be tooth-supported (immediate/traditional) or implant-supported. As the angulation between the implant axis and the path of insertion increased, the retentive forces decreased among the attachments. However, in the Locator (pink) and OT Equator (clear), a stable retentive force was observed up to 30° without a significant difference and decreased at 45°, particularly in the Locator pink. Both systems have acceptable retention capacities. Retention loss depends on the patient’s physiological and systemic conditions. Under the ideal conditions, i.e., when both the attachment caps with similar retentive values, the Locator attachment had shown less retention loss as compared to the OT Equator attachment.