Public awareness and acceptance of dental implants.

To investigate public awareness and acceptance of dental implants, 120 adult US citizens were asked to answer a questionnaire. Of the 109 persons who completed the questionnaire, 77% had heard about dental implants, mostly through media and lay persons. Only 17% named a dentist or physician as the source of information. Persons with many missing teeth were not more aware of implants than those with fewer missing teeth. Of 19 removable denture prosthesis wearers, 15 knew about implants but only one third learned of them from their dentist or physician. Of 84 persons with information about implants, 51 would consider implant treatment, 17 would not, and 16 were undecided. Esthetics was the most frequent motivating factor favoring implants, while high cost was the most frequent argument against them. Younger interviewees were significantly more often in favor of implants than older persons. It was concluded that public awareness and acceptance of dental implants are high. Dentists and physicians, however, play only a minor role as sources of information.