Awareness, knowledge, and attitude of patients toward dental implants - A questionnaire-based prospective study

Factors Affecting the Choice of Implant Specialists Among the Saudi Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Patients are frequently exposed to misleading information about dental implants on social media or from dental marketing businesses. Patients' selection of an implant specialist for placing dental implants may vary due to several factors, including cost, social media, dentist qualification, and previous patient experience. Objective This study aims to assess and evaluate the factors that influence the choice of implant specialist in the Saudi population. Materials and methods The data were collected from 625 participants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2023 to April 2023. The study targeted males and females over 20 years old living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and excluded those under 20 years old or not living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results The dentist's qualification (80.2%), dental implant cost (77.3%), and clinic or hospital (68.2%) were the most frequently agreed-upon factors for selecting an implant specialist. The study found that 13.7% of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed that social media could influence the choice of an implant specialist. Among females, those with higher educational levels, middle-income groups, and those who had ever replaced a missing tooth, the importance of a dentist's specialty to perform a dental implant increased significantly. Conclusion Different factors contributed to the selection of an implant specialist among the population, with dentist qualification followed by dental implant cost being the most commonly discussed factors in the study.

Assessment of Current Knowledge, Awareness and Attitude Towards Dental Implants as a Treatment Option for Replacement of Missing Teeth in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVE

To assess the current level of knowledge, awareness, and attitude towards dental implants as a treatment option for the replacement of missing teeth in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A random sample of 1000 Saudis (including both males and females) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was selected. In accordance with research ethics codes, informed consent was obtained from research participants before approaching them via a structured online questionnaire using Google Forms; additionally, questionnaires were distributed in public places and promoted on social media to be answered anonymously. The data were coded, tabulated, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) software. Descriptive statistics were calculated.

RESULTS

Around more than half of the study population (56.3%) opted for dental implants as a treatment option if they had to choose among the various options, and for those who did not choose dental implants, high cost was the major factor. The Pearson correlation between dental implant information and whether it was provided by their dentists and age was significant, and the majority of those who heard about dental implants are between the ages of 30 and 50. Also, it was noted that many of the participants who were working in the government sector (49.5%) had dental implants and were aware that dental implants as a treatment option were provided by their dentist when compared to those who were working in the private sector (12.1%) and the unemployed (24.7%), and this difference was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

It was also observed that there is inadequate knowledge regarding the longevity of dental implants, and participants who were working in the government sector had dental implants and were aware that dental implants as a treatment option were provided by their dentist when compared to those who were working in the private sector, and around half are not aware that dental implant treatment can be covered by insurance.

Changing trends of prosthetic rehabilitation of partially edentulous patients visiting a tertiary care dental hospital

Introduction:

The choice of prosthetic replacement is largely determined by the patient's choice and economic status, available technology and expertise, as well as the number of missing teeth. The aim of this study was to identify the trend in prosthetic replacement, in partially edentulous patients treated at Riyadh Elm University (REU) hospitals, as well as to investigate the factors that might influence the prosthetic choice.

Methods:

The records from Dentoplus digital system of all partially edentulous patients who had a prosthetic replacement at REU 2013, until June 2018, were screened and analyzed using Statistical software SPSS version 25. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were performed. Alpha level was set at ≤0.05.

Results:

6,340 patients received implants, removable or fixed prosthesis. Majority of the patients were females (60%). RPDs were the highest placed restorations (69%). Students (73%) placed most RPDs. Implants significantly increased through the years by almost (30%) (P-value = 0.00). Among FPDs, metal-ceramics were the highest restorations (74%), with a significant increase of all-ceramic restorations through years (P-value = 0.00). Moreover, FPDs were significantly the highest restorations among young-adult and middle-aged patients (P-value = 0.00).

Conclusion:

There was a clear change in prosthetic rehabilitation trends over the past few years. Although removable partial dentures continued to play a major role in prosthetic teeth replacement, the use of dental implants showed a steady increase every year. Students’ requirements and level of experience, along with the patient age, had an influence in the prosthetic choice.