Dental Student’s Perception of Dental Implant placement by Dental Specialty

Endosseous implants have traditionally been surgically placed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMFS), periodontists, and general dentists while, maxillary sinus lift procedures have mostly been performed by oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and less commonly by periodontists. Dental student’s impression of the types of practitioners performing these procedures may reflect referral patterns in the future. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to identify dental student’s perception of which specialty places endosseous implants and performs sinus lift procedure. Methods: 520 surveys were sent to fourth year dental students at 52 dental schools. The survey asked the students which of the dental practitioners they think most often place dental implants and perform sinus lift procedure. A second question was which practitioner they would chose to perform the procedure if they needed it themselves. The results were then analyzed using Chi Square. Results: Of the 520 surveys mailed, 284 surveys were returned (54% overall response rate). When choosing whom they believe places dental implants, with the exception of general dentists, the respondents felt fairly similar between single-degree OMFS (SD-OMFS), dual-degree OMFS (DD-OMFS), and periodontists. When asked which of these practitioners they would choose to perform the procedures on them, a similar pattern of response was seen in regard to DD-OMFS and periodontists, and to a lesser extent SD-OMFS. When asked the same question regarding sinus lift procedures, once again the response was similar to that regarding dental implants. However, when asked which of these specialties they would choose to perform the procedure on themselves, they overwhelmingly chose the dual degree OMFS over the other three practitioners (p<0.001). Conclusion: dental students feel that for both procedures, DD-OMFS, SD-OMFS and periodontists are equally qualified to perform the procedures but DD-OMFS are the preferred provider of the sinus lift procedure