title: A qualitative study of patients' motivations and expectations for dental implants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore patients' motivations and expectations for dental implants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-setting, qualitative interview study. SUBJECTS, SETTING AND METHOD: Semi-structured, telephone interviews were conducted with nine patients who had consulted a restorative dental practitioner with an interest in implantology about the possibility of replacing their missing teeth with dental implants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interview transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis to identify relevant themes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The main theme to emerge was 'normality'. Participants expected implants to restore their oral-related quality of life to 'normal'. However, individual definitions of normality differed; some were appearance focused, while others were more concerned with functioning. Several participants who had completed implant treatment regarded their new prostheses as 'just like natural teeth'.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients' belief that dental implants are just like natural teeth could be cause for concern if it leads them to treat them as such, and thereby not follow the recommended specialist care they require. The findings emphasise the importance of good dental practitioner-patient communication in assessing expectations of treatment and outcomes. Further studies should explore the expectations of patients of different ages and socioeconomic backgrounds and consider ways of eliciting patients' beliefs about implants before treatment takes place.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK. e.b.grey@bath.ac.uk
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Grey
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harcourt
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: O'Sullivan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000523:psychology*; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000523:psychology*; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D036301:Qualitative Research; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000601:surgery*
chemical_list: D015921:Dental Implants