Knowledge and attitudes of final year dental students in Turkey on periimplant diseases

Periimplant diseases are inflammatory conditions that affect the soft and hard tissues surrounding dental implants. With the increasing use of implants, understanding periimplant diseases has become crucial for dental practitioners. Many dental students have limited knowledge about periimplant diseases-particularly periimplantitis-emphasising the need for better education. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of periimplant diseases etiology, diagnosis, and treatment among Turkish dental students.

A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 254 final year dental students in Turkey. The questionnaire comprises twenty-one closed-ended questions. It included two sections: 1) demographic details (gender, experience in implant surgery, and education on dental implants and periimplant diseases), 2) questions assessing knowledge of the etiology, risk factors, diagnosis, complications and treatment of periimplant diseases.

Most students (79.1%) reported that they had not received formal education or training on implant therapy. More than half (52.8%) had not attended lectures or webinars on periimplantitis. Despite this, 81.5% of the participants recognised bacterial plaque as the primary cause of periimplant diseases, and 82.3% were aware of the inflammatory nature of the disease. However, knowledge gaps have been noted in surgical treatment approaches.

Within the limitations of this study, final year dental students demonstrated adequate diagnostic knowledge of periimplant diseases but showed significant gaps in surgical treatment awareness. This highlights the importance of revising undergraduate curricula to better prepare students for early recognition and appropriate referral of periimplant cases.