Representative marketing-oriented study on implants in the Austrian population. II. Implant acceptance, patient-perceived cost and patient satisfaction

• Published in: Clinical oral implants research 2003-10, Vol.14 (5), p.634-642
• Main Authors: Tepper, Gabor, Haas, Robert, Mailath, Georg, Teller, Christoph, Bernhart, Thomas, Monov, Gabriel, Watzek, Georg
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Austria; Dental Implantation, Endosseous - economics; Dental Implantation, Endosseous - psychology; Dental Implantation, Endosseous - statistics & numerical data; Dental Implants - economics; Dental Implants - psychology; Dental Implants - statistics & numerical data; Dentistry; Dentures - economics; Dentures - psychology; Female; Health Care Costs; Humans; implant acceptance; implants; Information Dissemination; Interviews as Topic; Male; marketing; Marketing of Health Services - statistics & numerical data; Middle Aged; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patient Satisfaction; patient-perceived cost; public evaluation; Public Opinion; survey; Surveys and Questionnaires
• ISSN: 0905-7161; 1600-0501
• DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0501.2003.00917.x

: Oral implantology is an established subspecialty of restorative dental and oral surgery. While an extensive body of evidence on the fundamentals of osseointegration and associated factors has been published, marketing‐oriented analyses based on representative public opinion polls of implant acceptance, patient‐perceived cost and patient satisfaction are scarce. In this study, an attempt was made to address these points by questioning a representative sample of 1000 adults in the household setting. The interviewees were presented with 14 questions. Of those familiar with implants as one of the treatment alternatives, 61% reported they would accept implants if the need arose. Implant acceptance was highest among males and interviewees below the age of 30 years. The interest in implants increased with increasing family incomes. Four percent of those questioned already had implants. Twenty‐five percent knew someone who had undergone implant treatment. All those questioned found implant‐supported rehabilitation to be very expensive. Many of them blamed the dentists for the high cost. One detail was particularly evident: satisfaction among implanted patients was clearly higher than satisfaction rates perceived by them from what they were told about implants by others. First‐hand experiences with implants proved to be less biased than reported second‐hand information. Résumé L'implantologie buccale est une technique appliquée dans certaines spécialités de médecine dentaire. Tandis que la proportion d'évidences s'accroît en ce qui concerne la recherche sur l'ostéoïntégration et les facteurs associés, les analyses orientées sur le marketing et l'opinion du public sur l'acceptation de l'implant, le prix et la satisfaction se font rares. Cette étude a été réalisée pour analyser ces différents points via un échantillon de 1 000 adultes. Les interviewés ont répondu à quatorze questions. De ceux qui étaient familiers à l'idée que les implants pouvaient être une alternative au traitement, 61 % ont répondu qu'ils pourraient si nécessaire y recourir. L'acceptation de l'implant était plus importante chez les hommes et les personnes âgées de moins de trente ans. L'intérêt à propos des implants augmentait parallèlement aux revenus de la famille. Quatre pour cent des personnes étaient déjà porteurs d'implants. Vingt‐cinq pour cent connaîssaient une personne ayant subi un traitement d'implant buccal. Parmi toutes les personnes interrogées, la réhabilitation sur implants sembl