Patients' experiences of dental implant treatment: A literature review of key qualitative studies.
OBJECTIVE
To identify and summarise the findings of previous qualitative studies relating to patients' experience of dental implant treatment (DIT) at various stages of their implant treatment, by means of textual narrative synthesis.


METHODS
Original articles reporting patients' experience with dental implant were included. A two-stage search of the literature, electronic and hand search identified relevant qualitative studies up to July 2014. An extensive electronic search was conducted of databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Knowledge, Cochrane Database and Google Scholar.


METHODS
Included primary studies (n=10) used qualitative research methods and qualitative analysis to investigate patients' experiences with dental implants treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
While the growing interest in implant treatment for the replacement of missing dentition is evident, it is essential to investigate patients' perceptions of different aspects of implant treatment. This textual narrative synthesis conducted to review qualitative studies which provided insight into patients' experience of two types of implant prostheses namely ISOD (implant-supported overdenture) and FISP (fixed implant supported prostheses). Primary reviewed studies tended to include samples of older patients with more extensive tooth loss, and to focus on experiences prior to and post-treatment rather than on the treatment period itself. Findings across reviewed studies (n=10) suggested that patients with FISP thought of implant treatment as a process of 'normalisation'(1) and believed that such implant restorations could be similar to natural teeth, whereas patients with ISOD focused more on the functional and social advantages of their implant treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The growing interest in qualitative research is evident in several branches of clinical dentistry and dental implantology is not an exception. Qualitative studies concerning the patients account of their experience of dental implants is however limited. The aim of this review is to firstly identify recent work within this field and to subsequently categorise it more consistently by means of textural narrative synthesis, thus highlighting similarities and differences and enabling identification of gaps in research knowledge thereby setting the direction of further research.
School of Dental Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom. Electronic address: w.a.a.kashbour@newcastle.ac.uk.
W A
WA
Kashbour
Institute of Health & Society, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4AA, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Nikki.rousseau@newcastle.ac.uk.
N S
NS
Rousseau
School of Dental Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom. Electronic address: Janice.ellis@newcastle.ac.uk.
J S
JS
Ellis
School of Dental Science, Newcastle University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE2 4BW, United Kingdom. Electronic address: j.m.thomason@newcastle.ac.uk.
J M
JM
Thomason
D003757:Dental Implantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology; D003758:Dental Implantation, Endosseous / Q000523:psychology; D015921:Dental Implants / Q000523:psychology*; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000523:psychology; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life
D015921:Dental Implants
Implant decision; Implant prostheses; Implant restoration; Implant treatment; Patients’ experience; Qualitative research