Awareness and knowledge of patients toward dental implants as an option in replacing missing teeth: A survey in Kerman, Iran

Background. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the level, sources and quality of information on implant treatment as an option for replacement of missing teeth, among a selected sample of dental patients in Kerman, Iran.

Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 305 subjects who attended the 6 main dental clinics in Kerman, Iran during January and February 2014. A standardized self-administered closed-ended questionnaire, pretested through a pilot survey, was used in the study. The questionnaires were distributed among the subjects during their regular dental visits. Data obtained from the questionnaires were scored and analyzed with SPSS 16.0.

Results. The results showed that 76.7% of the subjects had heard about dental implant as a treatment modality. Regarding dental implants, dentists were the main source of information (40.7%), followed by the relatives and friends (17.0%). Lack of precise knowledge about implant therapy was the major factor preventing the subjects from choosing this kind of treatment in 35.7% of the subjects and the high cost of implant procedure (31.5%) was the second obstacle. Concerning the subjects’ opinion about the quality of implant therapy, 73.1% of the subjects indicated “excellent” or “good” and just 14.1% of them mentioned “poor” or “very poor” option.

Conclusion. The results of this survey showed that the majority of the participants were aware about dental implants as an option for replacing missing teeth. It also showed the important role of dentists in providing accurate information for the patients about this treatment option.