Questioning the Awareness of Partially Edentulous Patients About Dental Implants and Implant Supported Dental Prostheses

BACKGROUND/AIMS: To measure and evaluate the level of awareness of a specific patient population with partial edentulism about dental implants, implant-supported prostheses, and the general treat-ment processes related to these. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 130 patients were included in the present study. Patients with local or systemic conditions considered as contraindications, those with a history of previous implant surgery, and illiterate patients were excluded. Prior to their participation, the patients were given in-formed consent forms and these were read to them before signing. Written survey forms consisting of 13 questions were given to the patients, and they were instructed to read the questions carefully the questions and mark the options with which they aligned most closely. Statistical correlation between age and the total scores and sub-dimensions of the scale were evaluated using Spearman’s rho test, while statistical comparisons according to gender and education were evaluated using the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: It was found that 58.9% of the patients who participated had awareness about dental im-plants. Only 39.6% had received information about dental implants from their dentists or doctors, and 63.6% indicated that dental-implant treatment is more costly than alternative options. There is no statistically significant correlation between age and the total scores and sub-dimensions of the scale (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Individuals with higher levels of education tend to exhibit greater awareness and more positive attitudes towards dental implant treatments. The high cost of implant treatment stands out as the most significant disadvantage of this approach.