Patient Awareness and Expectations Toward Dental Implants at Saidu College of Dentistry

Background: Dental implants (DIs) are a well-established treatment modality for the replacement of missing teeth. Despite their increasing use, patient awareness and expectations regarding dental implants vary considerably, often influenced by educational background, access to care, and socio-demographic factors. Objective: To evaluate the level of awareness and expectations regarding dental implants among patients seeking replacement for missing teeth. Methodology: This cross-sectional descriptive study employed purposive non-probability sampling and included 227 partially or fully edentulous individuals in good general health. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire comprising sixteen validated questions adapted from AL-Dwairi et al. (2014) and Chowdhary et al. (2010). Results: Of the participants, 55.5% were female (n=126) and 44.5% male (n=101), with a mean age of 43.54 ± 13.65 years. Nearly half of the respondents (n=111; 48.9%) demonstrated low awareness of dental implants, while 26.9% (n=61) had moderate awareness and only 15% (n=34) showed high awareness. Gender and educational status were significantly associated with awareness levels (P < 0.05). In terms of expectations, 32.6% of participants had high and often unrealistic expectations about dental implants, with gender and education again showing a statistically significant association (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Overall awareness of dental implants among patients was low, and both gender and education played significant roles in shaping awareness and expectations. These findings underscore the need for targeted educational initiatives to improve informed decision-making regarding dental implant treatment.