engleski

Influence of age on knowledge and awareness of dental implants among elderly people in Croatia

Objectives: Poor retention and stability of complete removable dental prostheses (CRDP) due to the residual ridge resorption can be solved by fabricating CRDP retained with dental implants (DIs). Therefore the aim of this study was to examine the knowledge and awareness about DIs, implant treatment options and the possibility of retaining CRDP using DIs among elderly patients wearing CRDP from Croatia. Methods: This, questionnaire based study included 301 participants who wore mandibular and/or maxillary CRDP. The participants included in this study were residents of elderly care homes with good mental and cognitive health (capable of understanding and filling out the questionnaire). Participants were divided into four age groups: up to 65 years of age, from 66 to 75 years of age, from 76 to 85 years of age, and participants with 86 years of age and older. The questionnaire specifically designed to assess the knowledge and awareness of DIs consisted of 12 questions. The examiner interviewed all participants by the face-to-face method with response rate of 100%. The results were analysed with a significance level of 0.05. Results: The participants were between the ages of 60 and 99 (with an average age of 74) ; 67 participants (22.3%) were younger than 65 years of age, 88 (29.2%) were aged between 66 and 75 years, 84 (27.9%) were aged between 76 and 85 years, while 62 (20.6%) were older than 85 years. The participants’ awareness of DIs was statistically significantly (p<0.05) affected by age. The majority of participants from the age group younger than 65 years had heard about DIs (88.1% ; p<0.05). They had also heard about the possibility of retaining CRDP using DIs (58.2% ; p<0.05) and believed in the possibility of retaining CRDP using DIs (74.6%, p<0.05). More participants aged from 66 to 75 years (64.7%, p<0.05) believed that the insertion procedure of DIs is performed under general anesthesia, and participants aged from 66 to 75 (62.5%, p<0.05), as well as those up to 85 years (52.4%, p<0.05) believed that hospitalization is required. If financial situation would allow it, only a majority of participants (52.2%, p<0.05) in a group younger then 65 years would accept DIs insertion procedure. The age didn't significantly (p>0.05) influence occurence of fear regarding DIs insertion procedure. Conclusion: Participants' age significantly affect knowledge and awareness of DIs. Older participants were more uninformed about DIs and treatment options with DIs. Therefore, the obtained results urge the need for better education, and proper provision of information to the population about DIs.

alveolar bone loss ; dental prosthesis ; dental implants

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