DENTAL PATIENT’S AWARENESS AND KNOWLEDGE IN USING DENTAL IMPLANTS AS AN OPTION IN REPLACING MISSING TEETH

Abstract

Introduction: Present day dentistry attempts to return patients' natural appearance.
The face is seemed as a representation and doorway into the
personality. The teeth has critical role in the in this respect.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine awareness about dental implants as a treatment option,
expectations and degree of knowledge about them in patients attending the dental college in
Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Material and methods: To gauge the understanding and familiarity of patients with dental implants, a self-explanatory
questionnaire was designed. Prior to the survey questionnaire's finalization; a pilot test was
conducted on 20 students to assess survey's effectiveness.During the patients' routine dental appointments, students distributed the questionnaires to the patients and their family members.
Excel and SPSS software version 26.0 were used to analyze data. Results were presented as
percentages and proportions using descriptive statistics.

Conclusion: In this study, while the majority of patients (94%) knew that missing teeth could be replaced,
only 26% knew about dental implants. Of the total, 84% of patients were interested to know
more about dental implants. The dentist's professional responsibility is to educate patients about
the use and advantages of dental implants, and this can be done by carrying out patient education
programs using contemporary technologies (social media, the internet, etc.).