Awareness in patients having partial edentulism and their motivation for seeking prosthodontic rehabilitation: a cross sectional survey study between indian and canadian population

Background: With increase in lifespan in both countries like India and Canada , span and prevalence of edentulism has increased. But there is a scarcity in literature regarding baseline information regarding the perception, knowledge and attitude of the general population towards tooth loss and its restoration. Material and methods: This study has a cross sectional design, which was performed in Navi Mumbai , India and Brampton, Canada. Pre-validated questionnaire consisting of questions assessing the awareness of the patients about their current missing tooth/teeth and its reasons, complications/consequences of non-replaced missing teeth, knowledge of the patients regarding prosthodontics’ treatment options, benefits and drawbacks of each treatment option, to 200 subjects /group. Results: Longer duration of missing teeth was observed in the Indian population as compared to the Canadian population. Unawareness of replacement of teeth and its options was the reason given by 25% Indian population and 13% Canadian population. Around 34% Indian population and 18% Canadian population were unaware of any prosthetic options for replacement of missing tooth/teeth. Conclusion: Prevalence of edentulism, lack of knowledge and unawareness was more prevalent in the Indian population. High cost of dental treatment was the most important factor in the Canadian population for not accessing their prosthetic needs.