Assessment of Current Knowledge, Awareness and Attitude Towards Dental Implants as a Treatment Option for Replacement of Missing Teeth in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Objective: To assess the current level of knowledge, awareness, and attitude towards dental implants as a treatment option for the replacement of missing teeth in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Material and method: A random sample of 1000 Saudis (including both males and females) from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was selected. In accordance with research ethics codes, informed consent was obtained from research participants before approaching them via a structured online questionnaire using Google Forms; additionally, questionnaires were distributed in public places and promoted on social media to be answered anonymously. The data were coded, tabulated, and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) software. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Results: Around more than half of the study population (56.3%) opted for dental implants as a treatment option if they had to choose among the various options, and for those who did not choose dental implants, high cost was the major factor. The Pearson correlation between dental implant information and whether it was provided by their dentists and age was significant, and the majority of those who heard about dental implants are between the ages of 30 and 50. Also, it was noted that many of the participants who were working in the government sector (49.5%) had dental implants and were aware that dental implants as a treatment option were provided by their dentist when compared to those who were working in the private sector (12.1%) and the unemployed (24.7%), and this difference was statistically significant. Conclusion: It was also observed that there is inadequate knowledge regarding the longevity of dental implants, and participants who were working in the government sector had dental implants and were aware that dental implants as a treatment option were provided by their dentist when compared to those who were working in the private sector, and around half are not aware that dental implant treatment can be covered by insurance.