Awareness and Acceptance of Dental Implants as a Treatment Modality for Replacement of Missing Teeth among Patients in Aseer Region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the level, sources of information, awareness, and acceptance of dental implant therapy among dental patients in Aseer region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: Information on demographic variables, level and sources of information, awareness, and acceptance of dental implant therapy as a treatment modality was obtained by self-explanatory survey containing 17 questions. The data were collected at five government dental health centers at Aseer region. The survey forms were distributed by in-charge dentist to the patients who were on routine visit. A total of 500 questionnaires were distributed out of which 479 were included in the survey. Results: The survey analysis demonstrated that 87% of participants were aware of dental implant therapy. Participants with high education level showed more awareness compared with lower education level (p < 0.05); 22.2% of participants were well informed about dental implants, 59.3% of them were moderately informed, 16.1% of them were poorly informed, and 2.4% were not informed about dental implants. The high cost (41.5%) was the major reason for people not choosing implant therapy followed by other reasons, such as fear of unknown side effects (33.0%), the need for surgery (13.5%), and long duration of treatment (12.0%). Conclusion: The surveyed participants in Aseer region were well aware about dental implants as a treatment option in replacing missing teeth. However, the dentists should provide accurate information to the patients regarding implant therapy irrespective of the patient's willingness to undergo therapy or not. High treatment cost for dental implant therapy was the main reason for patients refraining from implant therapy.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Attitude in Using Dental Implants as an Option in Replacing Missing Teeth Among Dental Patients: Survey-Based Research in a Dental Teaching Hospital in Derabassi, Punjab

“…The majority of the participants in this study (70.9%) were interested to know about dental implants, similar to a study done in India (69.9%) [ 10 ]. Though, the percentage of the population interested was less than that of a study done in Saudi Arabia (90.1%) [ 1 ]. This suggests that dental education and training about dental implants are of the utmost importance.…”

“…More than one-third of participants (39.6%) thought that the dental implants are fixtures to the jaw bone, which was consistence with Parmita et al (24.5%) [ 11 ] and in disagreement with AlQahtani (56.6%) [ 1 ]. Regarding the need for special care and hygiene, it was found that 27.8% of participants believed that implants needed more care than natural teeth, which was similar to a study conducted by AlQahtani (58.3%) [ 1 ], and Esfahani et al (47.4%) [ 15 ].…”

“…Tooth loss is a frequent condition that can occur due to dental caries, periodontal disease, facial trauma, endodontic failure, and occasionally iatrogenic factors [ 1 ]. Tooth loss can be traumatic and upsetting, and it is considered a serious life event that requires remarkable social and psychological readjustment [ 2 ].…”

“…Tooth loss can be traumatic and upsetting, and it is considered a serious life event that requires remarkable social and psychological readjustment [ 2 ]. The World Health Organization classifies edentulous people as physically impaired due to the loss of an important part of their body [ 1 ].…”

Assessment of Periodontal Health Among Removable and Fixed Partial Denture Wearers in Aseer Region of Saudi Arabia

“…In 2018, AlQahtani discussed patient awareness and acceptance of dental implants as a treatment modality for replacement of missing teeth in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia [ 18 ], while in 2023, Rownaq et al presented the assessment of current knowledge, awareness, and attitudes toward dental implants as a treatment option for replacement of missing teeth in the Riyadh region of Saudi Arabia [ 19 ]. However, there is no published data in the Aseer region of Saudi Arabia covering the conventional prosthetic replacement of missing teeth.…”