Perception, Awareness, and Practice about Missing Teeth, Prosthetic Options, and Knowledge about Dental Implants as a Treatment Modality in the Adult Population of Jharkhand State: A Hospital-Based Study

CONTEXT: Several options to restore the missing teeth are currently available; however, minimal information is there regarding the tooth loss consequences and knowledge of the various prosthetic options in the Indian population. AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the perception, awareness, and practice about missing teeth, prosthetic options, and knowledge about dental implants among the adult population of Jharkhand state. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 400 participants. The questionnaire was divided into two sections, i.e., perception awareness and practice about missing teeth, its consequences, and prosthetic options and the second part was about the knowledge of dental implants. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Chi-square test was applied for comparison, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Maximum numbers of people 178 (44.5%) were interested to get their teeth replaced as a definite requirement. Loss of esthetics as a consequence after tooth loss was known to 72.5% followed by tilting of adjacent teeth (47%). Awareness for prosthetic options available after tooth loss was highest (71.5%) for fixed partial denture's (Bridge). Sixty-three percentage of the studied population had not replaced their missing teeth with any dental prosthesis. Knowledge about dental implants was restricted to a meager of 84 (21%) of the participants. Dentist was the main source of information for dental implants, followed by media. CONCLUSION: Awareness of patients toward missing teeth and its consequences requires more emphasis. Special effort is needed to improve the knowledge of dental implants among the less educated population of this region.