Naseer Ahmed, Maria Shakoor Abbasi, Fiza Bibi Alavi, Asma Naz, Sabeen Masood, Adil Bin Irfan.
Factors influencing the treatment options for single missing tooth: a patient preference-based study.
Isra Med J Jan ;13(1):24-8.

Objective: To determine factors affecting the patients decision for selecting a particular treatment option for replacement of single missing tooth Study Design: Descriptive analytical study. Place and Duration: Department of Prosthodontics, Altamash institute of dental medicine, Karachi, from 15 June`2019 to 14 December`2019. Methodology: All new patients attending dental OPD in the age group of 18-60 years with only single missing tooth were included in the study. A well-constructed and validated Performa was used to evaluate patient`s decision for three different types of prosthesis against different influencing factors including, cost, pain and discomfort, duration, dental phobia, damage to the adjacent teeth and number of visits. Results: Out of the total 397 patients mostly were from 40-50 years with 56.2% males and 43.8% were females. Majority of the participants preferred fixed partial dentures (59.2%) as compared to removable partial dentures (24.4%), dental implants (9.1%) and (7.3%) preferred no treatment option. Cost of treatment (90.9%) was the most common factor in choosing a particular prosthesis majorly with dental implants and fixed partial dentures. Conclusion: The replacement of missing tooth is based on multiple factors amongst fixed partial denture, removable partial denture and dental implants, among which duration of treatment and cost are the most common influencing factors considered by the patient. Additionally, patient`s education and awareness level did affect the choice of treatment options.

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