Knowledge assessment of dental implant practitioners at Ajman and Sharjah dental schools

Abstract

Aims and Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess basic knowledge about dental implants amongst newly graduated dental practitioners at the Ajman and Sharjah Dental schools. Materials and Methods: This study was carried out by a self-designed, close-ended questionnaire which was given to the participants in both Ajman and Sharjah dental schools. The questionnaire consists of three parts (knowledge, attitudes and practice) with respect to implant dentistry, and was filled by 173 dentists. Consequently, the data was analyzed by (SPSS, 22V) to reveal the study results. Results: The study revealed that 81.78% of the participants were aware about the various dental implant systems, the surgical techniques involved in dental implant placement, the distance between two adjacent implants, and the different anatomical structures that should be avoided during implant placement. However, 66.5% of the participants did not display full awareness (proper understanding) of dental implant contraindications. Most dental practitioners were aware of immediate and delayed implant placement and their loading protocols. Despite the difficulty of the dental implant procedure, 89% of the participants were willing to present implants as a treatment option to their patients, 87.9% would incorporate implant treatment into their future practice and the majority of them (98.3%) agreed to replace their missing mandibular 1st molar by a dental implant. The participants believed that the difficulties of the dental implant procedure are related to the skill level of the practitioner, lack of proper instrumentation and materials required for the dental implant procedure, and also related to cost (74.6%,63.6%, 83.8%) respectively. Out of all the dental practitioners who took part in this study, only 27.7% of them have undergone formal training in dental implant placement and only 54.3% were satisfied with the implant education they received at undergraduate level. Therefore, 94.8% of the participants demanded further education and training with respect to dental implant placement. Regarding implant education levels, 66.5% of the dental practitioners stated that implant education and training methods are rendered more beneficial at post-graduate level, whilst only 33.5% stated that implant education and training methods are best at undergraduate level. Conclusion: Study findings revealed that dental practitioners possess a high level of knowledge and education towards dental implants, however the overall results show that participants lack practical experience. Therefore, further progress is needed on all educational levels, in addition to advanced level training of dental implant placement for the purpose of enabling dentists to carry out dental implant procedures with a higher level of confidence.