ABSTRACT
Introduction:
As dental implants become more widely used, there is a need to raise awareness about their potential complications. Professionals in the dental and medical fields must take responsibility for educating the public, and future professionals in these fields will play a key role in this effort.
Methodology:
Dental and medical students were polled through online questionnaire, with questions posed in multiple-choice format, to gauge their knowledge of dental implants.
Result:
When medical students were compared with dental students, it concluded that the dental students have more knowledge about implants and its complication.
Conclusion:
The statistical analysis revealed that the knowledge about basics of implantology and implant complications was good amongst dental students than medical students which was statistically significant.
KEYWORDS: Dental implants, implant complications, questionnaire study
INTRODUCTION
With the growing success of dental implants, it has gained popularity option for replacement of missing teeth. But the awareness regarding the various facts associated complication is minimal among general public. It is the responsibility of working dental and medical professionals to spread awareness and for this they need to be themselves aware for the same. Dental and medical students are the budding professionals who hold the onus of spreading this awareness in the future.[1,2]
The growing number of patients who depend on their dentists for accurate information about their oral health underscores the need of dentistry students having a thorough familiarity with the implant treatment process.[3-6] This knowledge will enable them to appropriately guide their patients in the future.
Dental and medical students are the future of the profession, and it is their responsibility to spread awareness about implant treatment and its associated complications. Therefore, a survey was conducted to determine the level of awareness, information, and knowledge of implant treatment among dental and medical students.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Study design and period
All of the research was place at Rama Dental College, Hospital, and Research Centre in Kanpur. A questionnaire survey was administered to dental and medical students to gauge their familiarity with and understanding of dental implants and potential problems.
RESULT
A total of 258 individuals completed the survey, including 57% dentistry students and 42% medical students at various academic levels. 88% of students knew of implant therapy as a replacement for lost teeth, whereas 11.27% did not [Table 1]. Dental implants were indicated by 35% of the students as one of the options to replace missing teeth, and fixed partial dentures were named by 6.92% of the students. 5.23% of respondents brought up detachable partial dentures, while 45.99% expressed mixed feelings overall. 88.73% of students had a substantially higher awareness of implant therapy as a substitute. When asked if they would consider getting an implant as a form of treatment, 72.21% said yes, 23.44% said they were unsure, and 4.35% said no.
Table 1.
Frequency regarding education level
| Distribution on the basic of academic years | |
|---|---|
| 1. Branch of study | |
| Dental | 57.13% |
| Medical | 42.87% |
| 2. Year of study | |
| 1st year | 9.33% |
| 2nd year | 18.50% |
| 3rd year | 21.69% |
| 4th year | 16.05% |
| Intern | 11.54% |
| P.G | 22.89% |
After learning the basics, the students were quizzed on the complication that leads to implant failure. 40.09% of respondents believed that poor bone quality and quantity cause implants to fail, while 14.64%, 4.88%, and 4.88% of respondents, respectively, believed that poor oral hygiene and smoking are the main causes of implant failure. Conversely, 1.08% of respondents believed that smoking and poor oral hygiene are the main causes of implant failure.
When asked which dental implant problem you believe to be the most significant, 15.95% were more concerned that it all depends on the surgical technique, while 30.54% said it depends on the case selection, 14.69% were unsure about the subject, 4.98% said it depends on the operator’s experience, 18.77% thought it all depends on the implant and its material, 15.07% thought patient compliance was the main factor [Table 2].
Table 2.
Knowledge and perception about dental implant and its complications among dental and medical students
| Questionnaire | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Complication of implants | |
| 1. How much are you aware of complications associated with dental implants. | |
| Moderate | 41.36% |
| Not at all | 6.17% |
| Poor | 10.75% |
| Very well | 22.14% |
| Well | 19.59% |
| 2. What do you think is most important factor responsible for complications associated with dental implants. | |
| Case selection | 30.54% |
| Don’t know | 14.69% |
| Experience of operator | 4.98% |
| Implant type and material | 18.77% |
| Patient compliance | 15.07% |
| Surgical technique | 15.95% |
| 3. Can dental implants cause neurologic complications. | |
| Don’t Know | 33.76% |
| No | 20.54% |
| Yes | 45.71% |
| 4. What do think is the most common reversible complication associated with dental implants. | |
| Don’t know | 34.29% |
| Intraoperative compliance | 12.75% |
| Post-operative compliance | 21.69% |
| Prosthetic compliance | 11.72% |
| Soft tissue compliance | 19.55% |
| 5. Are you aware of regenerative option for implant complication. | |
| Don’t know | 24.15% |
| No | 30.62% |
| Yes | 45.22% |
| 6. What do you think is the most common aesthetic complication associated with dental implant. | |
| Chronic Inflammation | 24.60% |
| Don’t Know | 24.74% |
| Exposure of gingival margin | 21.12% |
| Gingival recession | 29.54% |
DISCUSSION
As expected, the number of dental students was higher than that of medical students, and there were also notable disparities in the replies between undergraduates and graduates. A greater proportion of replies supported by evidence were anticipated from the students, but the degree of knowledge concerning implants was still inadequate, particularly among medical students.[7]
The purpose of the research was to compare the present level of knowledge on dental implants with the replies acquired, since the use of dental implants in the rehabilitation of (partially) edentulous patients is on the rise. Just 35% of those polled were aware that dental implants were one option for replacing lost teeth; 6.92% mentioned fixed partial dentures, and 5.23% mentioned detachable partial dentures. While the number of students who are familiar with dental implants has grown dramatically, a minority of students still choose traditional dentures or bridges over implants.[8]
The number of implant treatments performed each year is increasing worldwide, and implant dentistry is becoming an integral part of general dental practice, even in developing countries like India. Therefore, it is crucial to provide more information to dental and medical students about dental implants so that they can guide patients in selecting the proper treatment modality.
CONCLUSION
This study highlights the importance of reevaluating undergraduate curricula, assessing the efficacy of current teaching practices, conducting consensus workshops, and providing students with hands-on training in order to better respond to the rising number of patients who have questions about dental implants.
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
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