Awareness of Peri-Implantitis Among General Dental Practitioners in Southern Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Aim and background: The success of dental implants is contingent upon various biological conditions, and any lapse in meeting these criteria can lead to complications such as peri-implantitis or implant failure. The objective of this research is to evaluate the level of understanding regarding peri-implant among general dentists practicing in Saudi Arabia.

Materials and methods: A quantitative approach was employed, utilizing an online questionnaire distributed to general dental practitioners (GDPs) in Saudi Arabia. The level of significance was predetermined at a p-value less than 0.05, and chi-square tests were performed utilizing IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20 (Released 2011; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States). For collected data, descriptive analysis was also applied.

Results: In general, just a few numbers of participants demonstrated adequate knowledge concerning peri-implantitis. Approximately 13.5% of respondents had undergone training in dental implants and engaged in probing around implants. Smoking and uncontrolled diabetes were identified as significant contributors to peri-implantitis by 18% and 12% of participants, respectively.

Conclusion: Noteworthy concerns arose as 18.7% of practitioners did not conduct probing around implants. No statistically significant differences were observed based on gender, experience, or training level among the participants. This underscores the importance of addressing these lapses through targeted education and training programs to optimize overall patient care.