Abstract
Objectives : The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness of implant wearers about periodontal diseases and implant management, which were closely linked to implant durability, in an effort to obtain information on the right directions for oral health education related to implant self-care and specialized care. Methods : The subjects in this study were 217 patients who wore implant and visited 14 different dental hospitals and clinics in the metropolitan area. After a questioaire survey was conducted and collected data were analyed by the statistical package SPSS 18.0. Results : As for the awareness of the subjects on the regeneration of alveolar ridge by general characteristics, there were statistically significant intergroup gaps according to the number of possessed implant, implant satisfaction and subjective gingival health status(p<0.05). Regarding their awareness of implant durability by general characteristics, there were statistically significant gaps according to the number of possessed implant and oral health education experience(p<0.05). Concerning their awareness of the cycle of regular implant checkup by general characteristics, there were statistically significant gaps according to occupation, subjective gingival health status and oral health education experience(p<0.05). Conclusions : The above-mentioned findings suggest that in order to ensure the long-term safe maintenance of implant, the way of looking at periodontal diseases and implant management should be changed. Specifically, more intensive oral health education should be provided for implant wearers to be aware of the importance of self-care and specialized care to change their oral health behavior, and clinical dental hygienists should improve their role performance to make it happen.
