Relative Awareness and Need of Dental Implant Treatment as applicable to Indian circumstances: An Overview

Sir, This is now a well known fact that the psychosomatic reactions of patients to loss of their teeth generated only little concern in the past. Though, in this modern era, artificial replacement of missing teeth with dental implants have been increasingly common and widely accepted option which often been referred as an affirmative experience by patients with regards to function, cosmetic and psychological aspects.[1] Undoubtedly, dental implant replacement therapy render fabrication of implant supported or retained prosthesis with excellent prognosis even in the compromised bony conditions where typical removable or fixed prosthesis fails. On an average number of dental implants inserted annually world-wide has been estimated to be approximately 1 million. Much work has been done on the clinical aspects of tooth replacement using various implant systems, but there have been few studies addressing their long-term prognostic assessments and patient’s attitudes to this alternative treatment.[2]