Introduction. Implant-supported prosthesis to treat partially or completely edentulous patients is widely practiced in modern dental practice. The acceptance rate of implant treatment is largely influenced by multiple factors, including knowledge, awareness, cost, expectations, and apprehensions. Aim. To assess the knowledge and awareness of dental implants among the patients visiting dental hospitals in the Asir region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods. This cross-sectional study included 422 participants, randomly selected among the patients visiting the dental clinics of King Khalid University and of Armed Forces Hospital. The web-based self-administered questionnaire included queries regarding sociodemographic factors, knowledge, and awareness of dental implant treatment. The obtained data was analyzed as frequency and percentage tables, to identify the knowledge and awareness level among participants. Results and discussion. The data obtained indicated a dental implant awareness value of 87.7%. The major sources of information (54.94%) were family and friends, followed by the dentist (27.02%). 30.8% of the participants believe the major benefit of dental implant prosthesis is appearance, while 30.1 % assumed an improved chewing function. Large part of the participants (31.3 %) could afford less than 500 SAR for dental implant treatments. 25.6% of them preferred dental implant prostheses and 14.7% expressed apprehension regarding dental implant treatments. Conclusions. The findings of the study show a higher dental implant awareness among the participants. However, a proper knowledge of the dental implant was not adequate, hence paths to improve the professional, evidence-based information among the population needs to be explored.
Keywords:- dental implant
- KNOWLEDGE
- missing teeth replacement
- public awareness
- source of information