title: Patients' Awareness toward Implant-supported Prosthesis: An Observational Study.
abstract: Implant-supported prosthesis has high predictability and success and improves quality of life. This study aims at assessing awareness among the patients regarding implant-supported prosthesis.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 391 study participants. A structured questionnaire was distributed to assess implant-related awareness among the study participants. The questionnaires were analyzed for the responses.
  
  
  
  Among the 391 respondents, 37.5% of the respondents reported having moderate knowledge regarding the tooth replacement options. Nearly 50% considered implants as a viable treatment option. The majority of them enlisted the dentist as the major source of information regarding implants, and media had a share of about 7.03% only. High cost was a major barrier in selecting implants as a treatment option.
  
  
  
  This survey showed that awareness among people was low regarding the dental implants. Efforts need to be directed to increase the awareness levels by utilizing media as a tool to achieve the target.
  
  
  
  A patient who is aware of the advantages of the implant-supported dentures will make an informed decision for better functional stability and retention of the denture, especially in the mandibular arch.
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Narayana Dental College & Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: C Mahendra
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Raju
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Narayana Dental College & Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India, e-mail: sumant29@gmail.com; periosumant@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Sumanth
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gunupati
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Meghna Institute of Dental Sciences, Nizamabad, Telangana, India.
authors.forename: Madisetty Mahesh
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Babu
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, Priyadarshini Dental College & Hospital, Tiruvallur District, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: C Sameer Kumar
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.affiliation: Department of Periodontology, Narayana Dental College & Hospital, Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Sukrutha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Biradavolu
authors.affiliation: Department of Prosthodontics, SRM Dental College, Ramapuram Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saravanan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001364:Awareness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Awareness; Implant-supported prosthesis Knowledge.