What do patients expect from treatment with Dental Implants? Perceptions, expectations and misconceptions: a multicenter study

Objective: While research in terms of patient-centered care in implant therapy is growing, few studies have investigated patients' initial perceptions prior to consultation with the implant dentist. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to capture patients' initial information level, perceptions, as well as expectations from the implant therapy. Method: A 34-item questionnaire was developed to investigate patients' preoperative information, perceptions and expectations from treatment with Dental Implants. The study was conducted in three locations (Hong Kong, SiChuan and JiangSu) during 2014-2015 with 277 patients. Results: The main information source about implant therapy was the dentist or hygienist for less than half of the patients (n = 113, 42%). About 62.8% of participants considered that they were in general informed about implants, but only 17.7% felt confident with the information they had. More than 30% of the sample appeared to maintain dangerous misperceptions about Dental Implants: "Dental Implants require less care than natural teeth"; "Treatment with Dental Implants is appropriate for all patients with missing teeth"; "Dental Implants last longer than natural teeth"; and "Treatments with Dental Implants have no risks or complications." Patients were divided when asked whether "Dental Implants are as functional as natural teeth" (agreement frequency = 52.7%). Expectations from treatment outcome were commonly high, while there was a significant correlation between the overall mean of perception scores and outcome expectation scores (r = 0.32, P < 0.001). Overall, younger subjects (< 45 years) and those with higher education level (bachelor and postgraduate) tended to present more realistic perceptions and lower outcome expectations. Conclusion: The majority of patients in this study presented relatively realistic perceptions. However, an alarming portion of the sample presented with inaccurate perceptions and unrealistic expectations, which the dental team would need to diagnose and correct prior to initiating implant treatment.