Perception, Knowledge, and Attitude of Individuals from Different Regions of Saudi Arabia toward Dental Implants and Bone Grafts

The aim of this study was to assess the perception, knowledge, and attitude of individuals from different regions of Saudi Arabia toward dental implants and bone grafts.

An online, self-oriented, and cross-sectional-based questionnaire with 21 items was given to 1622 individuals from different regions of Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire recorded the perception, knowledge, and attitude of participants and their agreement or rejection of dental implants and various kinds of bone grafts. The responses were compared with age, sex, and educational level. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed for the collected data and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Most of the males (35.8%) and females (39.8%) reported that the major source of data regarding dental implants is friends and families. Majority of the participants (approximately 75% males and 73% females) support the idea that dental implants last for lifetime, whereas majority of the participants (approximately 49% males and 56% females) displayed their unawareness regarding materials used for dental implants. The overall acceptance rates of participants for autografts, alloplasts, xenografts from the cow, xenografts from the horse, and allografts were 40%, 15.9%, 2.5%, 2.2%, and 1.6%, respectively.

The expense of dental implants was considered the foremost reason for avoiding the procedure. Most of the participants think that fixed dental prostheses last longer than removable prosthesis. Autograft was the most accepted bone graft, whereas allograft was the least accepted bone graft over the responded participants.