Knowledge, attitude, and awareness of general population in Saudi Arabia toward the using of dental implants for replacement of missing teeth

Abstract

Aim: The present study aimed to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitude of general population in Saudi Arabia toward the use of dental implants for substitution of missing teeth. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was completed over a duration of 2 months. A questionnaire was designed, and a pilot test was done on 20 subjects to assess the validity and effectiveness of the questionnaire. Post this, the survey was initiated for a duration of 2 months and finally involved 302 participants. The questions were separated into three parts. Part I: four questions related to demographic data. Part II: four questions to explore the level of awareness and knowledge regarding dental implants. Part III: four questions to evaluate the attitude of responders to dental implants. descriptive statistics and association was checked using the Chi-square test. A p value of less than 0.05 was measured as statistically significant. Results: Totally, 302 participants answered the questionnaire, in which 175 (57.9%) were females and 127 (42.1%) were males. About 249 (82.5%) had heard about dental implants; 176 (58.3%) subjects thought implant will last lifelong. Majority of the responders [284 (94%)] thought implants required superior cleanliness and care and that they cannot be cleansed like natural dentition. A statistically significant relationship between source of information and education was found. Conclusion: Our study concluded that an acceptable level of knowledge and awareness was found regarding dental implants in selected Saudi Arabia population. The attitude of subjects toward dental implants is appreciable. Clinical significance: At present, dental implants are commonly recognized as a prosthetic treatment for partially or completely edentulous subjects. The dentist plays a major role in this aspect, and this can be achieved by conducting education programmers for patients and having advisory hubs on dental implant use, which will discuss benefits and likely complications so as to spread awareness among public.