Rudeejaraswan A, Pisarnturakit P P, Mattheos N, Pimkhaokham A, Subbalekha K
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Department of Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
JDR Clin Trans Res. 2021 Oct 30:23800844211049405. doi: 10.1177/23800844211049405.
As implant therapy is a widely applied treatment modality, general dentists are in the frontline of maintaining health in patients with implants. It is however unknown to what extent general dentists are competent and feel prepared to deliver maintenance of implants to patients.
The aim of this study was to investigate the attitudes and self-reported and objectively assessed competences of general dentists with maintenance of dental implants in patients.
A questionnaire designed and validated for the purpose of the study, including attitudes and self-reported and objectively assessed competences, was distributed by means of an online platform.
Data from 429 questionnaires were included in the study. Half of the participants were 28 to 33 y old and 78% had been working <10 y. Seventy-eight percent believed that dental implant maintenance should be performed by general dentists, but only 51% were prepared to do this, citing obstacles such as insufficient knowledge and limitations of their working environment. The mean ± SD objectively assessed competence score was 8.97 ± 2.74 of 17. There were significant differences ( < 0.001, 1-way analysis of variance) in the scores among dentists who offered the full range of maintenance and management of complications (10.83 ± 2.45) with those willing to provide comprehensive oral examination and implant maintenance only (9.31 ± 2.73), those offering comprehensive examination but unwilling to conduct maintenance (8.22 ± 2.28), and those who refer all dental implant patients elsewhere (7.2 ± 2.66). Around half of the dentists believed that implants last for life.
While general dentists appeared to largely acknowledge the importance of providing implant maintenance care and present with positive attitudes, a large portion was unwilling to engage with maintenance of implants in patients and appeared to lack essential competences to this end. The main obstacles for providing implant maintenance care included insufficient knowledge and lack of a properly equipped clinical environment.
The results of this study can identify deficiencies in the currently available maintenance competences and schemes for patients with implants. These results can also help dental professionals, scientific bodies, and associations to design appropriate education and professional development strategies that can strengthen the confidence and competences of general dentists, thus offering better service to the public.
由于种植治疗是一种广泛应用的治疗方式，普通牙医处于维护种植患者健康的第一线。然而，普通牙医在何种程度上有能力并感觉准备好为患者提供种植维护尚不清楚。
本研究旨在调查普通牙医对患者种植体维护的态度、自我报告的能力和客观评估的能力。
通过在线平台分发一份为该研究目的设计并验证的问卷，包括态度、自我报告的能力和客观评估的能力。
429份问卷的数据纳入研究。一半参与者年龄在28至33岁之间，78%工作年限小于10年。78%的人认为种植体维护应由普通牙医进行，但只有51%的人准备这样做，理由是知识不足和工作环境限制等障碍。客观评估的能力得分平均±标准差为17分中的8.97±2.74分。在提供全面维护和并发症管理的牙医（10.83±2.45）与仅愿意提供全面口腔检查和种植体维护的牙医（9.31±2.73）、提供全面检查但不愿意进行维护的牙医（8.22±2.28）以及将所有种植患者转诊至其他地方的牙医（7.2±2.66）之间，得分存在显著差异（<0.001，单因素方差分析）。约一半的牙医认为种植体可以终身使用。
虽然普通牙医似乎在很大程度上认识到提供种植体维护护理的重要性并表现出积极态度，但很大一部分人不愿意为患者进行种植体维护，并且似乎缺乏为此所需的基本能力。提供种植体维护护理的主要障碍包括知识不足和缺乏设备齐全的临床环境。
本研究结果可以识别当前种植患者维护能力和方案中的不足。这些结果还可以帮助牙科专业人员、科学机构和协会设计适当的教育和专业发展策略，增强普通牙医的信心和能力，从而为公众提供更好的服务。
