Dental Implant Expectations among Partially and Completely Edentulous Patients

Abstract

Purpose: To assess edentulous patient awareness, expectations, and source of information about dental implants (DIs). Materials and methods:Edentulous patients' knowledge and awareness in using DIs, as an option in replacing missing teeth, either in implant-supported fixed prosthesis or implantsupported overdenture, were evaluated through a standardized self-explanatory questionnaire distributed in three places: King Saud Hospital, AL Harkan Private Dental Clinics (in Unaizah), and College of Dentistry, Qassim University. The questionnaires were either handed to the patients during their regular dental visits or asked by the dentist. A total of 178 subjects were included in this survey.Results: About 93.3% of participants were aware of DIs, with statistically significant difference between the study groups (p = 0. 012). The participants' friends and relatives were the main source of information (49.40%), followed by dentists (33.70%). Approximately 41.60% were moderately informed about DIs. Over one-third of patients expected an implant to require more care than natural teeth (39.80%). About 65.3, 73.6, and 80% of single missing, partially, and completely edentulous patients respectively, preferred to have their teeth replaced with DIs. Improvement in function was the predominant reason for completely edentulous patients (57.9%) to consider DIs, while 37.6 and 41.4% of single missing and partially edentulous patients were considered DIs to avoid adjacent teeth damaging. Fear of surgical risks was the major factor in preventing patients from choosing DIs (13.5%), followed by high cost (9.6%) and unknown side effects (6.2%). Conclusion:There was a high awareness about DIs among removable denture patients; however, this awareness was associated with a low level of accurate information.Recommendations: There is a need to provide more accurate information about DIs to the patients by the dentists.