Perception, Sentiments, and the Level of Awareness toward the Dental Implant among General Population in Sulaimaniyah City, Iraq

Abstract

Abstract Background: Edentulism is one of the most commonly encountered conditions affecting the oral cavity. Dental implants have emerged as a widely accepted treatment option prosthodontically. However, lack of public awareness and the cost of the treatment act as barriers to limit their applicability. Objectives: To investigate the perception, sentiments and level of awareness toward the dental implant among the general population in Sulaimaniyah City, Iraq. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on 1132 participants in Sulaimaniyah City, Iraq, from February 15, 2023, till August 15, 2023, to collect their sociodemographic data, knowledge and attitudes toward dental implants for their missing tooth/teeth. Results: The mean age of participants was 41.3±14.6 years, and most (30.7%) belong to the age group 31 - 44 years. Also, most of them were males (63.6%), married (75.3%), educated (91.3%), from rural areas (82.3%), and had >1 missing tooth (75%). Regarding the participants' knowledge of dental implants, most had information (78.4%) /heard about it (83.3%), mainly from dentists (43.6%); however, least of them (21.5%) /their family members (43%) had replaced missing teeth by dental implants. Additionally, the participant's attitudes toward the dental implant indicated that most of them were interested in replacing their missing teeth (88.8%) but did not do it due to financial reasons (87%) and considered replacement as a very important (92.5%) and safe process (79.2%). Also, most of them thought there was no substantial difference between artificial and natural tooth appearance/function (47.9%), preferred the conventional method for dental implant (47.7%), and would like to do an implant due to problems in dental appearance, speech, or dental function (81.5%). Finally, significant/highly significant differences were seen between each participant's factor (age, gender, marital status, education level, and residency) with most items of attitude/awareness toward dental implants. Conclusions: Most participants were aware of the knowledge and attitude of dental implant for replacing missing tooth/teeth, especially males, married ones, educated individuals, and those from urban area; however, financial problem is the main obstacle. Additionally, the conventional method is preferable for replacing missing tooth/teeth using dental implants among studied individuals.