Changes in Attitudes Toward Desire for Implant Treatment: A Longitudinal Study of a Middle-Aged and Older Swedish Population

Purpose: To assess, at a 10-year interval, changes in attitudes toward desire for implant treatment among middle-aged and older Swedish subjects with respect to dental status. Materials and Methods: Three thousand subjects, residents of Örebro County, Sweden, were surveyed via the same questionnaire in 1989 and again in 1999 regarding their possible need for and interest in implant-based prosthodontic treatment. Results: One thousand six hundred sixty-five subjects responded to both surveys. In 1989 few respondents indicated an interest in implant treatment, whereas in 1999, 92% of those who had not indicated an interest in the earlier survey now indicated that they desired implant treatment. The cohort reporting having no teeth had a considerable lower increase in desire. Among those who reported a possible treatment need (ie, missing 1 or more teeth and had not had them replaced or those who wore complete dentures), cost was the most commonly cited reason for declining implant treatment. Conclusions: There was a dramatic increase in the interest for implant treatment over the period from 1989 to 1999. Changes in awareness of implant treatment, along with an expansion in the number of qualified providers, may have contributed to this increase.