Behavioral Determinants of Patients' Willingness to Undergo Dental Implant Therapy: A Health Belief Model-Based Cross-Sectional Study

TL;DR

This study explores why some patients are willing to get dental implants, finding that confidence and understanding of benefits are key factors.

Contribution

The study identifies self-efficacy as the most influential behavioral factor in patients' willingness to undergo dental implant therapy.

Findings

51.7% of participants were willing to undergo dental implant therapy.

Higher education and income were significantly associated with willingness to accept implants.

Self-efficacy was confirmed as the most influential behavioral construct in predicting acceptance.

Abstract

Introduction: Dental implants represent the gold standard for tooth replacement; however, patient acceptance remains variable despite their proven clinical efficacy. This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic and behavioral determinants influencing patients' willingness to undergo dental implant therapy using the health belief model (HBM) framework and to identify independent predictors of acceptance among adults with missing teeth.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted over six months in 300 eligible adults (aged 18-65 years) with at least one missing tooth who were recruited using consecutive sampling. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire comprising sociodemographic details, single-item measures for eight HBM constructs on a five-point Likert scale, and a binary outcome variable (yes/no) for willingness to accept implant therapy. The data were then subjected to statistical analysis.

Results: Of the 300 participants, 155 (51.7%) expressed willingness to undergo implant therapy. Willingness was significantly associated with higher education and higher monthly income (both p = 0.001). Participants willing to opt for implants demonstrated significantly higher levels of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, cues to action, and more favorable cost perception, along with lower dental anxiety (all p ≤ 0.001, except for cost perception: p = 0.046). No significant differences were observed for perceived barriers (p = 0.256). Binary logistic regression identified perceived severity (odds ratio (OR) = 1.57, p = 0.005), self-efficacy (OR = 1.23, p = 0.002), and cues to action (OR = 1.22, p = 0.049) as independent predictors. Relative importance analysis confirmed self-efficacy as the most influential behavioral construct.

Conclusions: Acceptance of dental implant treatment is significantly shaped by socioeconomic status and key components of the HBM, with self-efficacy playing the most influential role. Patients are more likely to opt for implant therapy when they feel confident in their ability to undergo the procedure, understand its long-term oral health benefits, and receive clear guidance from dental professionals.